Durban — At least 18 people were killed, and 15 others were left injured in three separate road crashes in northern KwaZulu-Natal on December 16, 2022, the Day of Reconciliation long weekend.
A four-year-old was among five people who were killed when two vehicles crashed on the N2 in eManzimtoti on Sunday night.
Emer-G-Med spokesperson Kyle van Reenen said that at approximately 8.30pm on Sunday night, Emer-G-Med paramedics and Netcare 911 responded to the scene of a collision on the N2 south near the M37 in the eManzimtoti area.
Van Reenen said reports from the scene were that two vehicles collided.
“Five people, among them a four-year-old child, suffered fatal injuries and were declared dead on arrival of paramedics.”
“Three others were treated and stabilised on the scene for moderate injuries and transported by ambulances to nearby hospitals for further medical care.”
Van Reenen added that the cause of the collision was unclear and that it would form the subject of a SAPS investigation.
Police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said that Amanzimtoti police are investigating a case of culpable homicide after five people reportedly died in a vehicle accident on the N2, opposite Kingsway Road.
Earlier on Sunday, seven people were killed and six injured when a minibus taxi overturned on the N3 near the Bergville Interchange.
KZN Emergency Medical Services spokesperson Robert Mckenzie described it as a serious and tragic crash.
The crash involved a minibus, which had overturned.
“Tragically, seven people sustained fatal injuries in this crash. Paramedics from KZN Emergency Medical Services, together with their colleagues from several private ambulance services, have treated six patients at the scene for injuries ranging from serious to critical,” Mckenzie said.
He said the circumstances resulting in the crash were not known at this stage, but they were being investigated by the police.
On Friday night, IPSS Medical Rescue managing director Dylan Meyrick said three people were killed on the R74 near Madundube after a single-vehicle crash.
“Three people have sadly been declared deceased whilst one person is in a critical condition and is severely entrapped in the wreckage,” Meyrick said.
He said that IPSS Medical Rescue Advanced Life Support paramedics worked to stabilise the patient while KwaDukuza Fire Department extricated him. The patient was taken to a nearby hospital for further care.
He also said that the circumstances surrounding the cause of the accident are unknown at this stage, but police were on the scene to investigate.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala said that KwaDukuza police are investigating a case of culpable homicide after two people reportedly died in a vehicle accident on December 16, 2022, in the Idemiya area in KwaDukuza.
“The circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated.”
Earlier, IPSS Medical Rescue received reports of a taxi that had rolled on Rolihlahla Drive in Ezakheni near Ladysmith.
Meyrick said that on the arrival of paramedics, it was established that the driver of a taxi had lost control resulting in the vehicle rolling.
“Two persons sustained minor injuries and were transported privately to a nearby facility while one person, an adult male, sadly sustained fatal injuries,” Meyrick said.
“The man was declared deceased by IPSS Medical Rescue paramedics.”
Meyrick added that Ezakheni police were on the scene to investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident.
In the afternoon, the KwaZulu Private Ambulance (KZPA) service responded to the N2 between Canefield and Nseleni for reports of a collision.
KZPA spokesperson Chantell Botha said that when emergency services arrived, they found that a vehicle and motorbike had been involved in a collision.
“Paramedics quickly assessed the scene and found that one patient had sustained serious injuries and two patients had sustained minor injuries,” Botha said.
She said that the patients were treated on scene before being transported to the hospital for further treatment.
“Sadly, two occupants had sustained fatal injuries and succumbed to their injuries before emergency services arrived,” Botha said.
These are fatal crashes the Daily News is aware of.
Police had not commented on some of the media queries by the time of publication.
Daily News