Four people were killed and five others serious injured after two vehicles were involved in a head-on collision on the N2 between East London and Butterworth in the Eastern Cape on Thursday morning.
The four deceased were burnt beyond recognition, Eastern Cape transport department spokesperson Unathi Binqose said.
He said the accident occurred at 06:15 near the Nciba area.
“A Toyota Etios with four occupants from East London collided with [an] Isuzu bakkie with five males believed to be brothers, travelling from Butterworth. The vehicles caught fire on impact. Sadly, all four occupants from Etios got trapped in the vehicle as the fire engulfed their vehicle.”
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Bingose said rescue personnel managed to rescue all five Isuzu occupants from the fire.
“They escaped with severe injuries and were taken to Frere Hospital [East London] for further medical treatment.”
The suspected cause for the accident is still unclear at this stage as emergency services still gathering evidence and providing help to the injured, said Binqose.
A case of culpable homicide has been opened at Komga police station for further investigation.
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