By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Limpopo Health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba voiced profound sorrow following a harrowing head-on collision involving an ambulance and an SUV, resulting in the tragic loss of both drivers.
The accident occurred on Saturday morning on the R81 Road at the Lemondokop.
The ambulance was from responding to an accident scene in Bellevue village.
Both drivers involved in the collision lost their lives upon impact. The ambulance assistant, three patients on the ambulance and the three occupants of the SUV survived. All the survivors are currently receiving medical treatment at various hospitals.
Ramathuba has expressed her sadness about the horrific accident. She said she is keen to personally extend her support and well-wishes to the courageous individual who is bravely battling through this difficult time.
“The incident serves as a stark reminder of the risks and challenges faced by emergency responders and healthcare professionals in the line of duty,” said MEC Ramathuba.
“The Department of Health extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased. Reaffirms its commitment to supporting all those affected by this tragedy.
Meanwhile, the South African Emergecy Personnel Union has called on the provincial department of health to counsel emergency medical services officials, who may be struggling to come to terms with their colleagues’ passing.
“We must also take into consideration the issue of roadworthy ambulances and that might also be a problem,” said union spokesperson Mpho Mpogeng.
Meanwhile investigations involving Interpol and the SAPS are underway to determine the cause of the horror crash on the R518 that claimed the lives of 45 people on Thursday.
The driver reportedly missed a turn off that would have taken the bus to the N11 road after going through the Groblersberg border post on Thursday. As a result the bus ended up on the R518 Mmamatlakala Pass.
The pass, a high accident zone, is described as one with “26 corners, one of which is a sharp hairpin of 160 degrees with a long bridge at its apex; a length of almost 10 km and a height gain of 415 metres”.
An eight-year-old girl who was reportedly flung out of the bus before it crashed through the cement and steel barriers was the sole survivor of the crash. The girl was initially admitted to the Masebe Hospital in Bakenberg before being transferred to the Mokopane Hospital in Mahwelereng about 60km away.
On Friday some family members of the 45 pilgrims who died sat dejected in the corridors of the Mokopane Hospital as government officials from Botswana and SA deliberated on the tragedy on Good Friday.
The family members who did not want to speak to journalists had travelled from Botswana after receiving news of the accident which happened on Thursday morning in Limpopo. They sat in a mournful state on benches at the hospital as the meeting between officials went on for more than two hours.