Six die in South Africa when truck crushes taxi

Six die in South Africa when truck crushes taxi

2010-12-06 09:51:46 GMT+7 (ICT)

KEMPTON PARK, SOUTH AFRICA (BNO NEWS) -- Six people were killed and others were seriously injured when a truck crushed a taxi that had just been in an accident in South Africa, officials said.

The accident happened on the R21 road near Kempton Park, a city in Gauteng Province. "Paramedics have arrived at the accident scene and found that an 18 wheeler had driven over a bakkie (pick-up truck) with 9 people," said Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha.

Botha said six people died on the scene due to their extensive injuries while two others were critically injured and a third sustained serious injuries.

"The Netcare 1 Medical helicopter with a trauma team on board was dispatched to the scene to assist ground crews to stabilize the injured," the spokesman said. "The two critically injured patients were airlifted one to Charlotte Maxeke and the other to Steve Biko hospital while the other patient was stabilized on scene and then transported to the Tembisa hospital for the care that he required."

Taxi accidents happen frequently in South Africa, often resulting in mass casualties as taxis carry many passengers. On Tuesday evening, 18 people were seriously injured when their taxi was involved in a serious accident on the R102 highway near Tongaat, a town in the country's KwaZulu-Natal province.

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