IN PICS | Seven dead, N3 closed in both directions after fiery N3 pile-up

Seven people have been confirmed dead in a horror crash on the N3 highway.

By 7pm, the road between Estcourt and Mooi River in KwaZulu-Natal was still closed after a fiery multiple-vehicle collision on Monday afternoon. Some of the vehicles caught alight, but firefighters managed to control the blaze after several hours.

According to KZN emergency services spokesperson Robert Mckenzie, seven people were found dead in the smouldering wreckage. 

Netcare 911's Shawn Herbst said both the north and south lanes were closed after a tanker and bus collided after 3pm. He said their Nsele Emergency Services ambulance responded to reports that multiple vehicles were involved in the collision.

Initial reports suggested several people were in critical condition and about 44 other people had minor to serious injuries.

Mckenzie said two trucks — one a tanker carrying a hazardous chemical — were involved in the crash, as well as a bus and a light motor vehicle. 

Though the blaze had been contained, the tanker was still smouldering and the heat from the fire was what was stopping the southbound lane from flowing.

Road Traffic Management Corporation provincial spokesperson Zinhle Mngomezulu said traffic towards Durban had been diverted at Midway and towards Johannesburg at the R103.

Meanwhile social media is reacting to the crash:

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