Pietermaritzburg – Two people were killed and eleven seriously injured when a minibus taxi rolled after leaving the R56 Richmond Road, near Pietermaritzburg, on Monday.
Traffic police said the driver survived after he leapt from his seat as the vehicle careered through a roadside barrier and plunged down an embankment, flinging passengers out as it rolled.
Road Traffic Inspectorate spokesperson Zinhle Mngomezulu said two women were killed.
“At this stage we can confirm that two women sustained severe injuries and were killed. Eleven others were treated by paramedics,” she said.
“The driver of the minibus told officers that he experienced brake failure and in a bid to save himself he jumped out of the minibus instead of trying to control it. He is a coward,” Mngomezulu added.
ER24 paramedics and officers from the police’s Search and Rescue Unit set up an elaborate rope rescue system at the top of the embankment to help medics carry the injured to waiting ambulances.
News24
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