Scores injured when taxi overturns in South Africa

Scores injured when taxi overturns in South Africa

2010-12-29 17:28:52 GMT+7 (ICT)

BALLITO, SOUTH AFRICA (BNO NEWS) -- Seventeen people were injured on Wednesday morning when a minibus taxi overturned in South Africa, emergency officials said.

The accident happened on early Wednesday morning on Ballito Drive in Ballito, a holiday town located in KwaZulu-Natal province, about 40 kilometers (24 miles) north of Durban. Few details were immediately available.

"Netcare 911 Paramedics arrived at the scene to find that the driver had lost control of the vehicle which overturned and rolled several times, coming to rest on its side in the roadway," said Jeffrey Wicks, a spokesman for Netcare 911.

Wicks said the injured were treated and stabilized at the scene by Netcare 911 paramedics before they were transported by ambulance to hospitals and clinics in the area for further treatment.

Taxi accidents happen frequently in South Africa, often resulting in mass casualties as taxis carry many passengers. Earlier this month, six people were killed and others were seriously injured when a truck crushed a taxi that had just been in an accident.

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