Pretoria - Three people have been killed in a head-on collision involving a Toyota SUV and a Volkswagen loading van on the N1 north outside Botlokwa, the Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety said on Saturday.
Spokesperson Mike Maringa said the deceased are two passengers and the driver of the Toyota SUV.
“Five people escaped with very serious injuries while the driver of the VW van sustained minor injuries. Preliminary investigations are citing fatigue as a possible cause of the accident.
“It is alleged that one of the drivers lost control of the vehicle and collided with an on-coming car,” said Maringa.
Earlier this week, the department announced that at least seven people had died in the early hours of Monday in two separate road crashes in the Vhembe and Capricorn districts.
At the time, Maringa said the first crash, which claimed six lives, happened on the N1 north next to Baobab tollgate outside Musina.
“The driver of a speeding Toyota Fortuner lost control of the vehicle and overturned. Six people, among them a 35-year-old male driver, a 34-year-old female passenger and four children were declared dead on the scene,” Maringa said.
Three passengers survived, with serious injuries. They were rushed to Musina Hospital.
Maringa said preliminary investigations are pointing at “reckless driving” as a possible cause of the accident.
In the other accident, which took place in the Capricorn district, a pedestrian was killed while trying to cross the R71 Road in Mamahule.
Maringa said the pedestrian was knocked by a speeding Hyundai sedan.
“A 35-year-old male was certified dead on the scene,” Maringa said.
IOL