Nine killed as taxi and truck collide near Bhisho

NINE people are confirmed to have died in a collision between a taxi and a truck on the R63 between Komga and Bhisho on Sunday afternoon.

The taxi was believed to be carrying passengers headed back to Cape Town following a funeral in the Eastern Cape on Saturday.

Two of those who died were in the truck – a mother and her son – while the other seven were in the taxi and included a child.

Only two people survived the horrific accident – a taxi passenger and the truck driver.

Provincial health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said both were still receiving treatment at Frere Hospital in East London.

He said one man from the taxi sustained serious injuries, including a broken jaw. He and the truck driver were both being treated in hospital.

He said the truck driver’s wife and son had been in the vehicle with him and both had died in the collision.

“There is speculation that the taxi was heading to Cape Town after a funeral in the Eastern Cape, but nothing can be confirmed yet and we don’t know how many other people they may have transported.”

Kupelo said the front of the taxi had gone under the truck and a tow truck was used to separate the two vehicles.

The jaws of life were then used to free the dead from the wreckage.

Frere Hospital chief executive Rolene Wagner said the patients’ families and employers had not yet been notified yesterday afternoon.

Police said a case of culpable homicide had been registered at the Komga police station.