Shoes, handbags, vehicle debris and shattered glass lay
scattered eerily a few metres from the charred shell of the minibus taxi.
Bodies lay strewn across the road. Fresh blood spatters glistened on the tar.
This was the horrific scene near Westonaria on the West
Rand on Sunday after 19 people were killed when the taxi they were travelling
in collided with a heavy-duty truck and burst into flames.
The accident happened on the R28 in Jagersfontein towards
Vereeniging just after 12.30pm. Five children and 14 adults died in the crash, according
to Gauteng police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini.
“Five others were taken to hospital, two with serious
injuries and three with slight injuries,” he said.The accident, one of several deadly crashes at the
weekend, occurred on the eve of the start of the festive season, which is
usually preceded by the launch of the government’s Arrive Alive campaign.
The wreck of the minibus taxi after it burst into flames
on impact.
Spokesman for Gauteng Traffic Police Obed Sibasa said
preliminary investigations showed that the taxi was overloaded.
He said the taxi was a Quantum which was designed to
carry 16 people, including the driver. But in this case, there were 24
occupants.
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