One person has died, and 32 others sustained injuries in a head-on collision in the Eastern Cape.
The accident occurred late on Tuesday night at about 10:30pm, on the foot of Penhoek Pass, the N6 road between Komani and Jamestown.
Head-on crash
Eastern Cape Transport Department spokesperson Unathi Binqose said the cause of the accident is being investigated.
“One of them (the patient) sustained critical injuries in a head-on collision involving a Greyhound bus and a VW Tiago. The one critical patient was transported to Frontier Hospital in Komani for medical attention.
“The deceased was the driver of the VW who was trapped in the vehicle 31 other passengers refused transportation to hospital,” Binqose said.
This is the second major accident in the province in the past few days.
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Government official dies
On Sunday, an Eastern Cape provincial government official died in a head-on collision in the province. The accident occurred on the N2 between Butterworth and East London.
Binqose said the department is deeply saddened by the official’s passing, but did not disclose the individual’s name.
“The collision occurred at approximately 15:20, on the N2 at Nciba, when a government vehicle travelling from East London towards Butterworth (Kokstad direction) collided with a Toyota double-cab carrying four occupants believed to be family members travelling from Butterworth towards East London.
Road safety
Binqose said the tragedy has struck the province “particularly hard.”
“Earlier today, we commended motorists for responsible driving after a weekend with no major crashes reported. For this devastating incident to follow so soon afterwards has been difficult for us to digest, as it feels like the good progress we celebrated has been painfully interrupted.”
Binqose said a case of culpable homicide, along with reckless and negligent driving, will be opened at Kei Bridge SAPS for further investigation.
The department extended its “deepest condolences” to the family of the deceased.
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