Durban — Seventeen people lost their lives in two mass fatality crashes in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday night.
KwaZulu-Natal Emergency Medical Services spokesperson Robert McKenzie said there were several serious crashes on the province's roads on Saturday night.
McKenzie said the first crash was on the N11, involving three vehicles.
“Tragically, six people sustained serious injuries in that crash and the remote road remained closed for several hours,” McKenzie said.
The second serious crash occurred on the R617 in the KZN Midlands, involving four vehicles which included a minibus.
“On this scene tragically, 11 people sustained fatal injuries and several patients were treated at the scene and transported to hospital by paramedics for continued medical care,” McKenzie said.
The exact circumstances resulting in these crashes are not known and will be investigated by the police, he said.
Police had not commented on the two crashes by the time of publication.
Meanwhile, KZN acting MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Jomo Sibiya, is at the scene of the R617 crash.
Sibiya will get a full report from police and also inspect the scene.
The department said reports suggest that 11 people, including a police officer, perished on the scene. The deceased involved 10 occupants of a minibus taxi and one police officer who was directing the traffic.
“Just last night, the province lost at least 17 people in two separate accidents. The other accident occurred on the N11 near Dundee where a total of six people died,” the department said.
Daily News