Fatal multiple vehicle accident claims lives of truck and bus drivers

A bus driver and a truck driver were killed in an accident that involved multiple vehicles in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday night.

Emergency services arrived at the N3 northbound near the Market Road off-ramp at about 10pm to find trucks, buses and cars had collided.

Two trucks and a fully loaded bus had been involved in a rear-end collision on the highway which led to the vehicles catching fire, said ALS Paramedics.

“It is believed the bus driver and truck driver passed away due to the severity of their injuries,” it said.

According to Midlands emergency services, the bus driver was entrapped in the vehicle and was declared dead at the scene by paramedics. The truck driver was also declared dead at the scene.

The Pietermaritzburg fire department extinguished the fire while paramedics attended to injured people.

ALS Paramedics said: “About 20 patients were treated at the scene for injuries before they were transported to Pietermaritzburg hospitals.

“At this stage, the events leading up to the crash are unknown. Authorities were in attendance and will be investigating further.”

TimesLIVE