Staff Reporter.
A tanker, carrying a hazardous substance, caught fire following a multi-vehicle crash on the N3 in Hidcote on 11 May 2021. Picture: @Netcare911_sa/Twitter.
Seven people have died and 30 were injured in a multiple vehicle collision on the N3 Johannesburg-bound carriageway in the Hidcote KZN Midlands region on Monday.
Robert Mckenzie, spokesperson for the KZN Emergency Medical Services, said the collision occurred just before 4pm and involved a bus, four cars, a truck and a tanker carrying a hazardous substance. Some of the vehicles had caught alight after the collision.
He said 30 patients with injuries ranging from minor to serious were being treated at the scene and being transported to the hospital.
“Seven fatalities all from one vehicle, a bakkie, which was between the bus and tanker,” said Mckenzie.
Mckenzie said the bodies were discovered only after most of the fire was extinguished.
He said by Monday evening at 6pm, firefighters had managed to contain the blaze however there was still smoke rising from the wreckage of the tanker.
Tragic crash between tanker and bus on the N3 claims 7 lives https://t.co/VWxtwfrunz #ArriveAlive @N3Route @KZN_EMS @kznpvt pic.twitter.com/MeLJdn7FKU— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) May 10, 2021
He said the N3 highway in the vicinity of Hidcote is currently still closed.
Meanwhile Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has sent condolences to the families of seven people who passed away in a gruesome crash on the N3, in KwaZulu-Natal.
According to road traffic law enforcement in KwaZulu-Natal, the accident occurred seven kilometres towards the Mooi River Plaza.
Further information revealed the accident involved a rigid truck, bus and a tanker that collided and caught fire.
“On behalf of the South African government, I send my sincere condolences to the families of the loved ones who passed away during this tragic accident. We saw the horrific scenes from the N3 where people were burnt beyond recognition with many sustaining injuries.
“The loss of lives on our roads is a scourge we are fighting. Road traffic law enforcement authorities are investigating the matter and will provide the families the much needed information for closure, “Mbalula said.
The Minister said that investigations of culpable homicide and the exact cause of the accident, are currently underway.