Police vehicle involved in deadly crash had 11 people on board

A Nissan NP300 police bakkie, which was involved in an accident that killed three detainees and a police officer, had 11 people on board at the time of the incident. 

The initial report by the Johannesburg metro police was that the vehicle had six occupants in it, but police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said the bakkie had eight male prisoners and two female prisoners at the back and one police officer [the driver]. 

She said police were investigating a culpable homicide case following the Monday collision that involved two other cars along the M1 road near Athol Oakland off-ramp. 

“Three male suspects, one female suspect, and driver [police officer] were declared dead on the scene while other victims including the driver of the Ford Ranger were taken to hospital with injuries,” she said. 

“It is alleged that the driver of a Ford Ranger bakkie lost control of the vehicle amid a road rage incident with another vehicle causing him to collide with the police vehicle transporting suspects from court.”  

Videos of the gruesome accident scene are doing the rounds on social media with some users expressing sympathy for those who lost their lives. In some videos, the white police vehicle is completely wrecked and has lost its canopy while some bodies can also be seen on the ground appearing to have been ejected from the vehicle.