South Africa: 27 people killed in road crash, 4 injured
What's the story
At least 27 people were killed on Friday in a road crash in South Africa's northern Limpopo province after a truck swerved into oncoming traffic when its tire burst, a local minister said. The accident involving multiple vehicles killed 25 people traveling in a minibus and two more in a sports utility vehicle. Also, four other people sustained serious injuries. Here's more.
Details
What happened today is nothing short of a disaster: Minister
"Overall we lost 27 people with four others sustaining serious injuries," said the provincial Transport Minister Makoma Makhurupetje. "What happened today is nothing short of a disaster," she said. Earlier she told AFP the truck had burst one of its front tires. "Unfortunately it crossed over into oncoming traffic with another four vehicles and one of the vehicles was a taxi (minibus)," Makhurupetje said.
Information
South Africa's battle with road fatalities
Despite having one of the most sophisticated road networks on the continent, South Africa battles with a high rate of road fatalities blamed mostly on speeding, reckless driving, unroadworthy vehicles, and failure to use seat belts.