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It has been a deadly start to the long Christmas weekend after 20 people lost their lives in separate road crashes in three provinces.
In Mpumalanga, six people were killed when the mini-bus they were traveling in overturned on the R38 near Nelshoogte Pass between Barberton and Badplaas on Saturday.
Emer-G-Med paramedics had responded to the accident around 5am.
“On arrival on scene a minibus taxi was found to have careened off the roadway and down an embankment. Multiple commuters were ejected during the course of the collision. Six people were found to have sustained fatal injuries and were declared dead on arrival of paramedics,” Emer-G-Med said in a brief statement.
Other passengers were treated for injuries ranging from minor to moderate at the scene before they were taken by ambulances to nearby hospitals for further medical care.
The minibus was reportedly transporting people from Johannesburg to Mozambique.
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In the second incident, three were reportedly killed in a head-on collision on the N4 toll road near Vosman.
The crash involved a sedan and an SUV, resulting in both drivers and one passenger being declared dead at the scene. The SUV had two occupants, a man and woman.
The police are investigating the causes of both crashes.
Mpumalanga MEC for Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Vusi Shongwe has since called for cautious driving following fatal crashes in the province, according to Mpumalanga News.
Shongwe urged motorists to be calmer and also avoid excessive speeding.
“We have noted most deadly crashes occur at night and during the early morning hours. Some of these crashes, we believe, are attributable to fatigue. Therefore, motorists must rest sufficiently along the way when undertaking long journeys,” he said.
Meanwhile, the N3 near van Reenen in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) was closed to traffic for close on five hours on Saturday morning.
This followed a multi-vehicle crash in which seven people lost their lives, Emer-G-Med confirmed.
According to the N3 Toll Concession, eight vehicles including three taxis, one truck and four light motor vehicles were involved in the crash.
The busy N3 highway has since been reopened.
Additionally, four people died in another crash, this time in Free State on Friday.
“Response services were activated to a horrific collision 20km before Winburg on the N1 North. When they arrived on the scene they came across a horrific crash scene. Sadly four people lost their lives,” Arrive Alive said.
One person with serious injuries was transported by VR Medical to Life Rosepark Hospital in Bloemfontein.
Local authorities were on the scene for assistance and further investigations.
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