20 Die In Road Accident in South Africa

No less that 20 people were crushed to death in a road smash in South Africa’s northern Limpopo province after a truck swerved into oncoming traffic after its tyre burst, emergency services and the local transport minister said Friday.

“More than 20 people have been killed and there are about five or six others with injuries ranging from minor to moderate,” Ineke Van Huyssteen, the spokesman for private ambulance service ER24, told Nigeria News.

The accident involved multiple vehicles, according to the provincial transport minister Makoma Makhurupetje.

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“A truck had a tyre burst. Unfortunately it crossed over into oncoming traffic with another four vehicles and one of the vehicles was a taxi (minibus),” Makhurupetge told Nigeria News.

“We are really shocked,” she said.

Despite having one of the most sophisticated road networks on the continent, South Africa battles with a high rate of road fatalities blamed mostly on speeding, reckless driving, unroadworthy vehicles and failure to use seat belts.