Pretoria – At least 11 people lost their lives in two deadly crashes in Mpumalanga on Sunday, and the provincial traffic authorities are calling for heightened respect for road rules.
In the first incident, Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison spokesperson Moeti Mmusi said, five people lost their lives on Sunday morning when the Volkswagen Citi Golf hatchback they were travelling in overturned on R544 Road between Emalahleni and Verena.
“The vehicle overturned and rolled several times, the driver and passengers were in the process ejected out of the vehicle,” said Mmusi. The driver was critically injured.
Emergency personnel declared the passengers dead at the scene.
In the second deadly crash, Mmusi said “a side-swipe” collision involving an articulated truck and a Mercedes-Benz sedan left six people dead on the N4 toll road towards Mbombela, near Montrose, on Sunday afternoon.
“The deceased include three adults and three children who were all occupants in the sedan. They all died on impact.” The critically injured driver of the sedan was airlifted to hospital, said Mmusi.
“Three pedestrians were slightly injured as they were hit by debris from the involved vehicles.
A stationary Toyota Tazz on the side of the road was slightly damaged. The cause of the collision had not yet been established, he said.
Mmusi said motorists across the province were advised to be cautious to avoid further loss of lives on the roads.
IOL