DURBAN - Five people were killed in a four-vehicle crash on the N2 in the Umtentweni area on Sunday afternoon.
KZN Department of Transport spokesperson Kwanele Ncalane said it was alleged that one driver lost control of the vehicle and collided with an oncoming vehicle. The incident involved three vehicles, a VW Golf, a Toyota Condor and a Nissan Navara.
“Five people died on the scene, three others are critical and were taken to hospital, others were also treated for minor injuries,” Ncalane said.
“We are also exploring the possibilities of checking all the vehicles, checking the drivers because there are strong allegations that one of ... the drivers might have been under the influence of alcohol during the accident, however, that is unverified at the moment but it is going to be part of the investigation.”
Ncalane also said the department would investigate the cause of the crash, already their teams had been to the scene and they have started the preliminary investigation and they hope they will soon finalise the report.
He said the road was closed and traffic was diverted to the R102.
The KwaZulu Private Ambulance (KZPA) service responded following reports of a crash.
KZPA said when they arrived at the scene, they found four vehicles had been involved in the crash.
The ambulance service said when paramedics arrived they found that three patients had sustained critical injuries, two patients sustained serious injuries and three patients sustained minor injuries. The patients were treated at the scene before being transported to the hospital for further treatment.
“Sadly, five patients had sustained fatal injuries and succumbed to their injuries before emergency services arrived,” KZPA said.
At 5pm, the ambulance service said it was expected that the N2 Umtentweni would be closed for an estimated three hours.
KZPA said authorities were on scene and would be investigating the cause of the crash.
Road Traffic Inspectorate spokesperson Zinhle Mngomezulu said the road was expected to be closed for at least six hours from the time of the crash which was around 3.30pm.
Before 6pm, Mngomezulu said they were waiting for the forensic team to arrive.
Ncalane said Transport MEC Peggy Nkonyeni was deeply saddened by the crash. has appealed to all road users to drive cautiously as it was raining in some parts of the province and the road is slippery. Motorists were urged to observe basic driving conditions which include the safe following distance.
Ncalane said the department also appealed to road users to adhere to all traffic regulations and laws.
Police had not commented by the time of publication.
To comment on this story send a WhatsApp message to our BackChat column on 071 485 7995
Daily News