At least 18 vehicles have been involved in a horrific collision which has left 24 people injured on Tuesday morning.
The 24 patients, with minor to serious injuries, have been transported to various hospitals by various ambulance services, said Deputy Chief of the Tshwane Emergency Services Department, Charles Mabaso.
“A truck collided with multiple vehicles on the N14 near the R55 in Thatchfield on (Tuesday) March 12 2024 just before 8am,” he said.
“The N14 direction north is completely closed off to traffic. Traffic officials are on the scene to manage the road. We advise motorists to use alternative routes until further notice,” Mabaso said.
“The cause of the accident will be investigated by law enforcement agencies.”
In January, even though Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga described the decrease in the number of road fatalities during the 2023/2024 festive season as a story of progress achieved against extraordinary odds, independent bodies said the number of deaths remained too high to celebrate just yet.
In fact, groups such as the AA reported that although the number of fatalities were reported to be on a decline, the high number of deaths on the country’s roads still required urgent intervention.
Chikunga released the 2023/2024 festive season road statistics in January, where she revealed that 1,427 people died on the roads in the 2023/2024 festive season between December 1 and January 11, which was 25 fewer than the previous year.
The statistics recorded from December 1 to January 11 indicated a 1.7% decline from the previous year’s records.
The transport minister said there were 1,184 fatal crashes, which signalled a 2.3% decline from the 1 212 crashes witnessed during the 2022/2023 festive season.
IOL