Cop and three others, including US tourist, killed in Mpumalanga head-on collision

A police officer and three others, including an American tourist, were killed when a police vehicle and a bakkie collided head-on in Mpumalanga on Thursday.

The accident happened on the R540 road between Dullstroom and Belfast on Thursday afternoon, police spokesperson Col Donald Mdhluli said.

He said Dullstroom police received a call about an accident involving a marked police vehicle and a white double-cab bakkie. “Upon arrival at the scene, the members found that the two vehicles had collided head-on. Unfortunately, the 45-year-old police constable was certified dead at the scene,” said Mdhluli.

Two female and one male occupants from the other vehicle were taken to a nearby hospital but the two women later died from their injuries. On Friday afternoon, police received information that the male occupant had also succumbed to his injuries.

“One of the women was a tourist from the US. The cause of the accident is still under investigation,” Mdhluli said.

Acting Mpumalanga police commissioner Maj-Gen Zeph Mkhwanazi sent his condolences to the families of the deceased . “This is a tragic loss of life and our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased,” he said.

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