Another deadly crash on Limpopo’s N1

Three dead, but more fatalities to be confirmed

The N1 highway between Polokwane and Pretoria is fast becoming a perilous road. Yesterday, seven people were believed to have died on the highway between Kranskop and Mookgophong in Limpopo.

The incident happened in the same region where 26 people died in a collision last month, while 40 others lost their lives in September when the bus they were travelling in was involved in an accident. Authorities said yesterday’s accident happened when two trucks, one carrying passengers, collided head-on near the Kranskop tollgate. According to Limpopo MEC for transport, safety, security & liaison, Makoma Makhurupetji, the accident happened when the driver of one of the vehicles lost control “due to fatigue” and collided with another truck travelling in the opposite direction.

“For now, all I can say is that three people burnt inside the truck after it caught fire in the collision,” said Makhurupetji. She said they were still waiting for forensic pathology services to consolidate the statistics of the fatalities.

The MEC said preliminary investigations had revealed that one truck carrying Zimbabwe an nationals was coming from Gauteng and that the driver was sleeping at the wheel when the truck veered into oncoming traffic, resulting in the deadly collision.

“There were other fatalities, but the number is not yet confirmed,” Makhurupetji said. “We are waiting for the forensic services to reconcile the statistics of the fatalities with the police so that we can know the exact number of people who died in the accident.”

The accident happened just a week after a prayer service was held to cleanse the road, which has claimed the lives of more than 40 people in the past two months.

‘ ‘ For now, all I can say is that three people burnt inside the truck