Riot Hlatshwayo

Riot Hlatshwayo

At least 11 bodies of the 25 people who died in the head-on collision between two trucks in Mpumalanga on Wednesday at about 6am have been identified.

Mpumalanga police spokesman Superintendent Abie Khoabane, told Sowetan that by 10am yesterday 11 of the deceased had been identified.

Meanwhile, a task team comprising representatives of the Mpumalanga department of roads and transport, traffic inspectorate, the South African Social Security Agency, Ehlanzeni district municipality and Bushbuckridge local municipality, has been formed after the accident.

Mpumalanga roads and transport department spokesman David Nkambule yesterday said ward councillors from the affected communities also formed part of the team.

"The task team will act as a link between the government and the affected people," Nkambule said.

"The team will be expected to come up with recommendations required to ensure the wellbeing of the affected individuals."

The accident happened when a horse-and-trailer transporting food for a Kentucky Fried Chicken chain, collided head-on with a truck transporting employees for a plantation.

Eye-witnesses said the KFC truck was going down the winding road, and apparently misjudged one of the sharp bends and ended up driving in the wrong lane and the two vehicles collided.

The bigger truck dragged the smaller one, which had a load of more than 30 people, towards the road railings.

Both trucks then crashed through the barrier and plunged more than 20m to the bottom of a gorge.

The horse-and-trailer even barged right over the other truck transporting people, killing 23 of them on the spot. There was blood everywhere.

Khoabane said only eight injured people had been taken to hospital and that two of them died there a short while later.