Machadodorp crash: Death toll rises to 18

The total number of fatalities from this morning’s accident on the Badplaas Road has risen to 18, reports the Lowvelder.

Russel Meiring, ER24 spokesperson, said in a statement this afternoon that they had been notified that two patients had died of their injuries.

“This includes 16 fatalities from the scene as well as two that succumbed to their injuries in hospital,” he said.

The Middelburg Observer confirmed that 18 of the contractors working for Franki Africa who were involved in an early morning accident between a truck and two Sprinter buses transporting them to Komati Mine had passed away.

In total, 16 men and two women were killed.

The 16 fatalities had been confirmed on the accident scene where the vehicles collided around 8am this morning on the Badplaas Road near Machadodorp, Mpumalanga.

The remaining two passengers were confirmed dead on arrival at Belfast Hospital.

Legacy Ambulance Services had to be summoned from eMalahleni around 3.50pm to transport a critically injured patient to the Milpark Hospital with the ER24 helicopter.

A helicopter also assisted with airlifts of critically injured patients from the scene.

More than 40 people were injured in the accident, including the driver of the truck. All of the passengers in the two Sprinters are employees of Franki Afrika, contracted by Komati Mine.

The truck involved in the accident. Picture: Middelburg Observer

Earlier

A collision between three vehicles on the R541 outside Machadodorp in Mpumalanga this morning has claimed the lives of 13 people, reports the Lowvelder.

According to Renata Erasmus of Life Med Ambulance Service the collision occured at around 6.50am when a truck travelling from Badplaas and a Quantam taxi collided head-on.

A 22-seater bus also travelling towards Badplaas drove into the back of the taxi.

Mpumalanga department of community safety, security and liaison (DCSSL) spokesperson, Joseph Mabuza, said the bodies of some of the deceased were trapped in the vehicles and had to be cut out.

ER24 said several passengers were trapped inside the bus and others were trapped underneath the overturned bus.

Mabuza said 16 patients were rushed to a hospital in Belfast. Other patients were transported to the nearby Life Midmed Hospital in Middelburg. One of the critical patients was airlifted to Mediclinic Nelspruit.

– Caxton News Service

For more news your way, follow The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter.