Severe weather brings crashes, snow in the Berg
A MOTORIST had to be rescued from a river after his vehicle veered off the road and a woman died in a crash in separate incidents on the waterlogged N2 at Amanzimtoti on Saturday.
In another incident, a man was killed when his bakkie veered off the road into bushes on the N2, south of Durban, also on Saturday.
The accidents occurred during heavy rainfalls across KwaZuluNatal.
The National Sea Rescue Institute responded by land to the incident at the river.
“The driver had managed to free himself from the vehicle and had reached the river bank before the Sea Rescue team arrived.
“Other medical services attended to the driver while the vehicle was recovered from the river,” NSRI spokesman Andrew Ingram said.
“Reports indicate that the vehicle veered off the waterlogged highway and plunged into the river,” Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha said.
ER24 reported that the driver had been injured and was transported to hospital.
In another accident soon afterwards, a woman passenger died when the car in which she was travelling veered off the N2 and slammed into a concrete bridge.
The male driver had escaped with minor injuries.
Ingram told The Mercury yesterday that both accidents were due to the severe weather.
KZN Emergency Medical Services reported that seven people died and scores were injured in other accidents over the weekend.
Snowfalls
Rainfall was heavy in Durban from Saturday morning to yesterday morning, where 34mm was registered. Durban south received 34.2mm, and Virginia 43mm.
In Zululand, Richards Bay registered 15mm, and the University of Zululand area, notched up 29.8mm.
There was significantly less rain in Pietermaritzburg, which registered just 10mm.
Photographs on social media showed snowfalls over the Drakensberg, Harrismith, and Sani Pass.
Sani Pass Tours’ Murray Cairns said that they had not experienced any damage from snowfalls. “The snow is thick but the (Sani Pass) road is fine,” he said.
Paramedics told The Mercury they had not attended to any snow-related accidents.
The South African Weather Service said they expected the weather to clear today, with rain only expected in Zululand this morning.
Warmer weather is expected by tomorrow.