Five children burnt beyond recognition in car accident in Free State

Five children burnt to death after the car they were travelling was hit by a truck in the Free State on Sunday.

Netcare 911 spokesperson, Shawn Herbst confirmed that they responded to reports of collision involving a truck and a car on the R721 in Vredefort on Sunday night.

Herbst said the driver of the car with the five children inside allegedly pulled over to the side of the road. The truck then drove into the back of the car, which burst into flames.

The car was still alight when the paramedics arrived.

“Sadly, five children passengers aged between 10 and 18 had been killed,” said Herbst.

He said the children were burnt beyond recognition and which meant the paramedics couldn’t establish their genders yet.

The driver of the car was unharmed in the accident.

The truck driver was no longer at the accident scene by the time paramedics arrived.

Herbst said police are investigating the circumstances leading to the fatal accident.

One killed, 10 injured in Ermelo accident

In a separate incident on Saturday night, a man was killed and 10 others sustained injuries when their bakkie rolled off the R56 outside Ermelo, Mpumalanga.

According to reports, ER24 and the provincial fire and emergency medical services (EMS) team arrived at the scene and found the bakkie upright on the side of the road.

They found several patients lying on the ground around the bakkie.

Upon assessing the patient, one man had already succumbed to his injuries and was declared dead by the paramedics.

A three-year-old child was among the 10 injured passengers. The patients were transported to nearby hospitals for urgent care.

The exact details surrounding this incident are unknown, but authorities were on the scene for further investigations.

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