Durban – As the end of the Easter long-weekend draws to an end, the KwaZulu-Natal department of transport announced the temporary closure of the N3 near Pietermaritzburg, following a multi-vehicle pile-up.
This comes after several serious accidents were reported since the start of the Easter weekend.
In a statement on Monday, department spokesperson Kwanele Ncalane warned motorists to be extra cautious when driving on the N3 in Pietermaritzburg, as the road is temporarily closed due to a multi-vehicle pile-up.
“This has forced the authorities to close the southbound N3 between Hilton and Cedara bound for Johannesburg. The N3 north (Durban bound) has also been closed due to recoveries and access by emergency services to the accident scene,” he said.
Ncalane said there is currently thick mist and light rainfall, and he urged motorists to adjust their driving patterns.
“Preliminary investigations suggest that at least five people have lost their lives and scores sustained injuries during this horrific crash. This accident involved five trucks, eight minibus taxis and 22 light motor vehicles,” he said.
The department cautioned motorists to use alternative routes such as the R103 or to delay their travel arrangements until the road has been cleared.
“Motorists are also cautioned of inclement weather that is expected overnight. The investigation into the cause of the accident is continuing, as various agencies are currently on the scene,” said Ncalane.
While KZN EMS spokesperson Robert McKenzie said the accident has mass casualties, he said the exact number of injuries or deaths is still unknown at this stage.
In a separate accident on Sunday, ALS Paramedics reported that a single vehicle collision resulted in the death of a young woman on Booth Road.
ALS’s Garrith Jamieson said around 9.20am paramedics responded to numerous calls of a single vehicle collision on Booth Road from Cato Manor to Pavilion Shopping Centre.
“On arrival paramedics found that the driver of a vehicle had lost control. The car rolled numerous times, ejecting some of its passengers,” he said.
Jamieson said paramedics assessed the scene and found that one passenger, a female believed to be in her twenties, sustained major injuries. She was declared dead on the scene.
He said a further four passengers sustained various injuries and were stabilised before being transported to various hospitals.
In an unrelated accident on Sunday, ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring, said 16 people were injured when a light delivery vehicle rolled off the N11, near the Elandslaagte turn-off, about 24km outside Ladysmith.
Meiring said ER24 and other services arrived at about 8.37am to find the vehicle upright in the veld.
“Several adults were found scattered along the highway and around the vehicle. Medics assessed the patients and found that seven patients were in a critical condition while nine others had minor to moderate injuries,” he said.
He said the patients were treated, and the critically injured were provided with advanced life-support interventions before they were transported to Ladysmith Provincial Hospital for urgent care.
Meanwhile, the Mercury’s sister publication, the Daily News reported that on Saturday, a 26-year-old woman was killed after she drove into a bridge that collapsed during the April floods last year.
Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the incident happened on Hesane Road, Newtown, in Inanda, in the early hours of Saturday.
In the report, KZN VIP Protection Services spokesperson Gareth Naidoo said KZN VIP medics responded to the scene after residents heard the crash and called for assistance.
“Sadly, there was nothing that could be done to save the Howard College student,” Naidoo said in the report.
He said the roadway is the link road to Ntuzuma access which was a daily route for road-users.
Police in Ntuzuma are investigating a case of culpable homicide.
In an unrelated accident on Saturday, IPSS Medical Rescue spokesperson Dylan Meyrick, said three people were killed while another person was seriously injured after a light motor vehicle and a truck collided on the N2 in Mandeni.
“Reports from the scene indicate that three people have sadly been declared deceased on scene and one person has sustained serious injuries. The seriously injured person is currently being stabilised by an IPSS Medical Rescue Advanced Life Support paramedic and will be transported to a nearby facility for further care,”he said.
