Five people were killed on Monday night when an articulated truck, which was transporting wooden logs, overturned on R33 Road between Carolina and Warburton in Mpumalanga.
“The deceased are all males and they were passengers in the truck. The driver is among the three injured people who were rushed to the nearby Carolina Provincial Hospital for further medical attention,” according to Moeti Mmusi, spokesperson for the Mpumalanga department of community safety, security and liaison.
In an update on Tuesday morning, Mmusi said the fifth person who succumbed to injuries from the crash was part of the three men who were rushed to the Carolina Provincial Hospital.
It is suspected that the driver may have lost control of the truck before the vehicle overturned.
Authorities said investigations into the crash are already underway.
On Monday night, Mmusi said the road was closed as paramedics and law enforcement officials were combing the scene.
“Motorists are urged to be patient because failure to do so may lead to secondary accidents,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mpumalanga MEC for Community Safety Security and Liaison, Vusi Shongwe, has sent condolences to the bereaved families, and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
In December, six people were killed when a minibus they were travelling in overturned on R38 Road between Barberton and Manzana.
It is suspected that the driver lost control of the minibus, and as a result, it overturned and rolled several times down the mountain.
Numerous people travelling in the minibus sustained injuries ranging from serious to slight and they were transported to the nearby Barberton Hospital.
“The minibus was pulling a trailer at the time of the crash. The minibus was ferrying people from Johannesburg to Mozambique,” Mmusi said at the time.
IOL