Photo: Supplied/ Netcare 911
Drivers burn to death after trucks collide near Mtunzini toll plaza
The collision between a fuel tanker and another truck near Mtunzini Toll Plaza saw both vehicles burst into flames and the drivers burn to death in a tragic incident.
Photo: Supplied/ Netcare 911
Two truck drivers lost their lives in a collision on the N2 highway near Mtunzini in northern KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday 9 May.
The collision between a fuel tanker and another truck saw both vehicles burst into flames and forced the closure of the road.
Drivers burn to death in N2 horror
Paramedics from private agencies and emergency services responded to calls reporting the collision at 13:00 on Saturday.
Once the blaze was extinguished it was established that the drivers of both vehicles had burned to death in the wreckage.
Firefighters battle the highway blaze
“Netcare 911 paramedics responded soon after 13:00 on Saturday to reports of a collision on the N2 near the Mtunzini Toll Plaza on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast,” Netcare 911 spokesman Shawn Herbst said in a statement issued on 9 May.
Herbst said that paramedics at the scene indicated that the two trucks, one of them a tanker transporting a flammable liquid, had collided. Both trucks overturned on the road, effectively blocking to N2 completely according to eyewitness accounts.
“Both trucks had subsequently caught alight and were completely destroyed,” Herbst added.
Fatal truck crash N2 Mtunzini. pic.twitter.com/eAGoCJI2Zf
— Netcare 911 (@Netcare911_sa) May 9, 2020
“Once the fire and rescue services had doused the flames, an assessment was done by an advanced life support paramedic who found that both the drivers of the trucks had burned to death in the crash.
“The N2 remained closed to traffic at about 14:30, with authorities working to remove the wreckage from the road.”
KZN: Fatal truck crash N2 Mtunzini. pic.twitter.com/2PPWj54JEC
— Netcare 911 (@Netcare911_sa) May 9, 2020
Lockdown limits road deaths
The national lockdown has slashed the amount of traffic on South Africa’s roads which has drastically reduced the number of deaths on our roads so far this year.
Over the Easter weekend, 28 people sadly lost their lives on South African roads, but that figure was down 83% from 2019 when 162 fatalities were recorded.
Authorities have also radically increased the number of roadblocks conducted, although traffic offences have been minimal during the lockdown.
The government opened a 7-day window for interprovincial travel on 1 May. The window closed on Thursday 7 May, meaning that interprovincial travel is once again limited to delivery of essential goods with exemptions made for funerals only by prior arrangement.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has assured South Africa that law enforcement would be out in force on the roads.
“Law enforcement officials will be out and about, ensuring road safety and compliance to lockdown rules and regulations,” Mbalula said.
“We urge road users to travel with care, sanitize their vehicles, wear face masks, do not exceed the required carrying capacity and drive safely.”
