Massive accident shuts N3 freeway between Joburg and Durban

A seven-car pile-up has closed the N3 highway between Johannesburg and Durban on the eve of what is traditionally the official start of the festive season.

Details were still emerging on the specifics of the incident‚ but officials have confirmed that the road is closed in the vicinity of Van Reenen’s Pass due to an accident involving seven vehicles. About 2km away from that scene there was another accident involving two trucks.

The accident took place on the Durban-bound lanes‚ but has affected the entire road.

It is unclear how many people have been injured‚ or how long the scene will take to clear.

The first notification of the accident was posted on the official N3 Toll Concession Twitter account shortly after 4am. Eight hours earlier the Concession had warned of misty conditions at Van Reenen’s.

An update at 5.20 on the @N3Route account said: “Entire road closed. All traffic stacked. Please be cautious.”

The December 16 weekend is one of the biggest and busiest in Durban‚ and is usually the first weekend when visitors from other parts of the country flock to the coastal city.

This is a developing story and will be updated.