/ 8 November 2008

Three killed in KwaZulu-Natal crashes

Two people, including a policewoman, were killed after being struck by a minibus taxi while directing traffic at the scene of another accident on the N2 highway north of Durban on Saturday morning.

KwaZulu-Natal transport department spokesperson Nonkululeko Mbatha said that while all the details were not immediately available, she could confirm that there had been a collision between a truck and a van on the N2 near Umhlali, about 40km north of Durban.

Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha said that the policewoman, who is believed to have been stationed at the Umhlali police station, was ”dismembered” and killed instantly.

The woman’s colleague was injured and taken to Durban’s Umhlanga hospital in a critical condition. Three other people were taken to nearby hospitals and were described as being in a serious condition.

The N2 northbound was closed to traffic, which was being diverted along the R102. It was not immediately clear when the highway would reopen.

It could also not be confirmed what had happened to the driver of the taxi.

Meanwhile, another person was reported to have died in Durban in the early hours of Saturday morning after the vehicle in which he was travelling collided with a truck.

Botha said that the passenger in the bakkie was killed instantly, while the driver was taken to Durban’s Addington Hospital. – Sapa