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A 15 vehicle pile-up in KwaZulu-Natal left 65 people injured.
Picture: iStock
The Easter weekend had a deadly start across South Africa’s roads, with a string of accidents leaving multiple people dead and scores injured.
Emergency services have been working around the clock, responding to major accidents in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), Mpumalanga, Free State, and Gauteng.
In the early hours of Friday morning, Mi7 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responded to two incidents on Town Hill along the N3 highway in KZN.
The first crash, which occurred shortly after midnight, involved two heavy-duty trucks.
One truck veered off the road into an embankment, while the other blocked the middle and slow lanes.
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Emergency crews, including Mi7 EMS and the Msunduzi Fire Department, arrived at the scene to find one driver trapped inside the wreckage.
Paramedics stabilised the critically injured driver while firefighters carried out a technical rescue.
“Once freed, the driver was transported under ALS [Advanced Life Support] care to a nearby hospital.
“Two additional patients sustained injuries and were also transported to hospital by Mi7 EMS,” a statement from Arrive Alive reads.
A second accident happened just before 03:00am in the same area.
The multi-vehicle pile-up involved at least 15 vehicles, including a bus, two trucks, two taxis, and 10 passenger cars.
The crash, reportedly caused by residual traffic and debris from the earlier incident, was described by responders as “carnage”, with vehicles scattered across all lanes of the N3.
“One bus passenger was found trapped in the wreckage and had to be extracted with assistance from firefighters.”
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According to emergency services, a total of 65 people were injured – one seriously, three moderately, and 61 with minor injuries.
Four people were transported to hospital.
“The rest were treated on site and declined further hospitalisation. All relevant authorities attended the scene and are continuing investigations.”
The authorities shut down the N3 for several hours, causing heavy delays into the morning.
KZN recorded a third crash around 09:00pm on Thursday.
The head-on collision occurred on the R614 in the Upper Tongaat area near a Puma garage.
IPSS Medical Rescue, together with other emergency teams, arrived to find two vehicles severely damaged, with one driver trapped in critical condition.
The driver was extricated by the Kwadukuza Fire Department before being rushed to hospital.
“He was intubated and ventilated once extricated.”
Four other occupants were also stabilised at the scene.
A total of five people were treated and transported to hospital by IPSS Medical Rescue.”
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the South African Police Service (Saps).
In Mpumalanga, two accidents were reported.
The first crash occurred around 05:00am on Thursday when a white Toyota Hiace minibus carrying members of the International Pentecostal-Anglican Commission (IPAC) church from Mozambique overturned on the N4 near Klein Olifants Dam in Middelburg.
The vehicle was en-route to Carnival City when the accident happened.
Two passengers – a man and woman – died at the scene. Three others sustained serious injuries, while eight suffered minor injuries.
“Two individuals, including the driver, were not injured,” Arrive Alive said in a statement on Friday.
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In a separate accident, six people died in a head-on collision between a bakkie and an SUV on the N4 between Belfast and Machadodorp on Thursday.
Five victims died at the scene, while a sixth succumbed to their injuries in hospital.
Weather conditions are believed to have played a role, with heavy rain and poor visibility reported in the area at the time of the accident.
Mpumalanga MEC for Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Mr Jackie Macie, urged motorists to drive cautiously and obey traffic laws amid wet conditions.
In another fatal accident, VR Medical Emergency Services responded to a head-on collision between a bus and a vehicle on the N8 near Petrusburg in Free State on Thursday night.
Two people were declared dead on the scene.
One additional patient sustained minor injuries and was transported to hospital for further care.
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