Four people died around 04h00 today on N11 Road between Middelburg and Groblersdal near Doornkop when a side swipe collision occurred between a minibus and an articulated truck. The minibus immediately overturned on the side of the road. The deceased include three men and one woman.
Four people sustained serious injuries while eight people survived with slight injuries. There were 16 occupants in the minibus including its driver. The deceased died at the scene. All the injured were first stabilised on the scene by the paramedics before being transported to nearby hospitals in Middelburg for extended medical treatment. Both drivers of the truck of the truck and the minibus were not injured. The occupants in the minibus are believed to have been travelling from the Eastern Cape province to Moria in Limpopo province for religious purposes. The cause of the accident is still under the investigation.
Communuty Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Gabisile Shabalala has meanwhile called on motorists to be careful on the road to avoid further crashes as mid year school holidays commenced today. She said that the part of N11 Road was becoming a major concern as several deadly happened since the beginning of the year.
"We are worried about N11 Road in Middelburg as it continues to claim many people's lives. We are appealing to motorists to be highly alert when they are on the road so that more tragedies are avoided. We are also appealing to public transport operators to highly cautious this weekend as many will be on the road due to the long weekend and the commencement of mid year school holidays, " Shabalala said.
Shabalala is also sending her heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. He has also wished those who were injured a speedy recovery.
Ends.
Issued by Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison
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Contacts: 084 411 3372 or 079 291 0664