Police have opened a case of culpable homicide against the driver of a hearse that collided with a bakkie near Highflats on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast on Friday evening‚ killing seven people and injuring three others.
MEC for community safety Mxolisi Kaunda said the driver‚ who was injured in the accident and was under arrest‚ was alleged to have been driving while under the influence of alcohol.
Four women and three men‚ who were travelling in the bakkie‚ were killed instantly. They were among 14 people who are reported to have been killed on the province’s roads since Friday morning.
Kaunda on Saturday morning visited the family of those killed in the accident.
Kaunda’s spokesman‚ Mluleki Mntungwa‚ said the MEC had also visited the crash site and inspected the wreckage.
“The MEC has received a preliminary report from the Road Traffic Inspectorate. It appears the driver of the hearse‚ who had been returning from transporting a deceased‚ overtook on a blind curve and hit into the oncoming bakkie‚” said Mntungwa.
He said Kaunda would also be visiting the three injured in hospital.
In two separate accidents‚ a further five people were killed on Saturday.
According to KwaZulu-Natal emergency services‚ a mother‚ father and child died in a crash on the N2 at Murchison‚ while on the N2 between eSkikhwini and Empangeni‚ two people died in an accident involving two vehicles.
The other accidents occurred on the N2 in Murchison ‚ the N2 near Empangeni and at Ladysmith‚ which together also claimed a total of seven people. They included two pedestrians — a mother and her child — who were killed while crossing the road in Murchison. Police are searching for the driver who allegedly ran away.
Driver of hearse in accident that killed seven people arrested
Police have opened a case of culpable homicide against the driver of a hearse that collided with a bakkie near Highflats on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast on Friday evening‚ killing seven people and injuring three others.
MEC for community safety Mxolisi Kaunda said the driver‚ who was injured in the accident and was under arrest‚ was alleged to have been driving while under the influence of alcohol.
Four women and three men‚ who were travelling in the bakkie‚ were killed instantly. They were among 14 people who are reported to have been killed on the province’s roads since Friday morning.
Kaunda on Saturday morning visited the family of those killed in the accident.
Kaunda’s spokesman‚ Mluleki Mntungwa‚ said the MEC had also visited the crash site and inspected the wreckage.
“The MEC has received a preliminary report from the Road Traffic Inspectorate. It appears the driver of the hearse‚ who had been returning from transporting a deceased‚ overtook on a blind curve and hit into the oncoming bakkie‚” said Mntungwa.
He said Kaunda would also be visiting the three injured in hospital.
In two separate accidents‚ a further five people were killed on Saturday.
According to KwaZulu-Natal emergency services‚ a mother‚ father and child died in a crash on the N2 at Murchison‚ while on the N2 between eSkikhwini and Empangeni‚ two people died in an accident involving two vehicles.
The other accidents occurred on the N2 in Murchison ‚ the N2 near Empangeni and at Ladysmith‚ which together also claimed a total of seven people. They included two pedestrians — a mother and her child — who were killed while crossing the road in Murchison. Police are searching for the driver who allegedly ran away.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos