The death toll in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) from Monday’s accidents has risen, the province’s transport department said on Tuesday.
Spokesperson Rajen Chinnaboo said a fifth accident was reported in KwaZulu-Natal at 8pm, bringing the total number of deaths in the province on Monday to 32.
He said a motorist lost control of his car on an unnamed road between Utrecht and Blood River.
”After losing control, the car went off the road and landed in a dam.
”The driver was declared dead at the scene,” said Chinnaboo.
Another four accidents claimed the lives of 31 people earlier in the day, prompting the province’s premier to declare this coming Thursday a day of mourning.
KwaZulu-Natal health spokesperson Leon Mbangwa said a collision between a coal truck and a minibus taxi near Dundee claimed the lives of 15 people, while another 12 people were killed on the outskirts of Durban near Shongweni when a bakkie carrying workers lost control and ploughed into oncoming traffic.
In a third accident near Mtubatuba on the N2, another three people died, while in a fourth accident a seven-year-old school boy was killed in the remote Hlabisa district when he was hit by a car.
Dozens of others were critically and seriously injured, said Chinnaboo. — Sapa