In one of the deadliest days in the Eastern Cape, at least 16 people were killed and several seriously injured in road accidents on Saturday.Traffic volumes are increasing as people make their way towards their festive destinations.
Among those killed hours apart in several accidents were three children, a pedestrian hit while trying to cross a road and a mother and her daughter-in-law, according to Arrive Alive provincial spokesman Tshepo Machaea.
In the deadliest of the accidents, five people, including a child, were killed when a Toyota Avanza and VW Golf collided head-on between Cathcart and Queenstown on the N6 on Saturday.
Machaea said all the victims were in the VW. One adult and another child in the Golf were rushed to Frontier Hospital with three occupants of the Toyota Avanza. The adult and infant later died in hospital.
“We are really concerned,” Machaea said, adding that in most of the accidents reported over the weekend, human error was to blame.
“Some motorists do not obey the rules of the road. People are not considerate towards other drivers as they continue to drive while under the influence of alcohol. In some cases accidents occur as a result of drivers overtaking in places where they are not allowed to do so,” Machaea said.
He said there were 24-hour roadblocks at the province’s “entry points”, with about 1000 traffic officers and police deployed.
In one of the incidents, four people were killed when two cars collided head-on between Elliot and Barkly East on the R58. Machaea said the accident happened shortly before 3am on Saturday. The victims were two men and two women. “We don’t know what could have caused the collision. We are trying to trace the families.”
Three passengers had serious injuries and were taken to hospital.
Two more people died when a bakkie overturned on the R61 between Gxulu and Mthatha at about 2pm.
Machaea said there were seven occupants. “It seems the driver lost control and the vehicle veered off the road and overturned. The occupants were rushed to the Nelson Mandela Central Hospital,” he added.
Two of them, a mother and her daughter-in-law, later died in hospital.
Machaea said a passenger was killed around the same time on Saturday on the R61 near Ngxoki village between Ngcobo and Mthatha when a bakkie collided with a Toyota Quantum.
Several other people were taken to hospital in Mthatha and Ngcobo with serious injuries.
A few minutes later, a 10-year-old boy was killed along the same route between Ngcobo and Cofimvaba when three cars were involved in a pile-up while trying to avoid hitting a taxi which had tried to overtake illegally.
“Two cars ended up colliding and a third one rammed into one of the two cars, resulting in the death of the boy.”
At least five other people were rushed to Cofimvaba Hospital.
A male pedestrian was killed on Saturday afternoon while trying to cross the N2 between Dutywa and Mthatha. Machaea said it was suspected the victim was drunk at the time.
Another two people – a woman and a teenager – lost their lives when their Toyota overturned and rolled between Peddie and Grahamstown.
The woman was taken to hospital, but later died from head injuries.
Machaea was unable to provide full provincial figures on road fatalities since the start of the festive season.
He said the Road Traffic Management Corporation would release official statistics tomorrow.
“We will try to verify all the information first before we are able to give you something,” he said.
lIn one of the worst accidents in the country, just outside Beaufort West in the Western Cape, 10 people were killed when the bakkie they were in collided with a truck and caught fire.
Although Machaea said he did not have details of the tragedy, he confirmed that 10 people were burnt beyond recognition in that accident and that DNA tests would have to be done to identify their remains. — asandan@dispatch.co.za / sikhon@dispatch.co.za
A day of death on EC roads
Among those killed hours apart in several accidents were three children, a pedestrian hit while trying to cross a road and a mother and her daughter-in-law, according to Arrive Alive provincial spokesman Tshepo Machaea.
In the deadliest of the accidents, five people, including a child, were killed when a Toyota Avanza and VW Golf collided head-on between Cathcart and Queenstown on the N6 on Saturday.
Machaea said all the victims were in the VW. One adult and another child in the Golf were rushed to Frontier Hospital with three occupants of the Toyota Avanza. The adult and infant later died in hospital.
“We are really concerned,” Machaea said, adding that in most of the accidents reported over the weekend, human error was to blame.
“Some motorists do not obey the rules of the road. People are not considerate towards other drivers as they continue to drive while under the influence of alcohol. In some cases accidents occur as a result of drivers overtaking in places where they are not allowed to do so,” Machaea said.
He said there were 24-hour roadblocks at the province’s “entry points”, with about 1000 traffic officers and police deployed.
In one of the incidents, four people were killed when two cars collided head-on between Elliot and Barkly East on the R58. Machaea said the accident happened shortly before 3am on Saturday. The victims were two men and two women. “We don’t know what could have caused the collision. We are trying to trace the families.”
Three passengers had serious injuries and were taken to hospital.
Two more people died when a bakkie overturned on the R61 between Gxulu and Mthatha at about 2pm.
Machaea said there were seven occupants. “It seems the driver lost control and the vehicle veered off the road and overturned. The occupants were rushed to the Nelson Mandela Central Hospital,” he added.
Two of them, a mother and her daughter-in-law, later died in hospital.
Machaea said a passenger was killed around the same time on Saturday on the R61 near Ngxoki village between Ngcobo and Mthatha when a bakkie collided with a Toyota Quantum.
Several other people were taken to hospital in Mthatha and Ngcobo with serious injuries.
A few minutes later, a 10-year-old boy was killed along the same route between Ngcobo and Cofimvaba when three cars were involved in a pile-up while trying to avoid hitting a taxi which had tried to overtake illegally.
“Two cars ended up colliding and a third one rammed into one of the two cars, resulting in the death of the boy.”
At least five other people were rushed to Cofimvaba Hospital.
A male pedestrian was killed on Saturday afternoon while trying to cross the N2 between Dutywa and Mthatha. Machaea said it was suspected the victim was drunk at the time.
Another two people – a woman and a teenager – lost their lives when their Toyota overturned and rolled between Peddie and Grahamstown.
The woman was taken to hospital, but later died from head injuries.
Machaea was unable to provide full provincial figures on road fatalities since the start of the festive season.
He said the Road Traffic Management Corporation would release official statistics tomorrow.
“We will try to verify all the information first before we are able to give you something,” he said.
lIn one of the worst accidents in the country, just outside Beaufort West in the Western Cape, 10 people were killed when the bakkie they were in collided with a truck and caught fire.
Although Machaea said he did not have details of the tragedy, he confirmed that 10 people were burnt beyond recognition in that accident and that DNA tests would have to be done to identify their remains. — asandan@dispatch.co.za / sikhon@dispatch.co.za
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