A bridge collapsed in the early hours of Wednesday morning in Germiston on the N3 freeway
Four people were injured after a pedestrian bridge on the N3 highway in Germiston collapsed, Ekurhuleni metro police said on Wednesday.
The incident happened in the early hours of the morning, metro police spokesperson Inspector Kobeli Mokheseng said.
The stretch between Van Buuren Road and the M2 Geldenhuys interchange had been closed.
The pedestrian bridge was lying across the highway in both directions. Three trucks and a Mercedes-Benz sedan crashed into the bridge, Mokheseng said.
“We heard rumours that there was a tremor in the area. We are not sure if it was an explosion,” Mokheseng told News24.
There were no fatalities. The injured people were transported to hospital.
According to the SA National Road Agency (Sanral) the bridge was built in 1978 and has been closed off to the public for a number of years. It said the road would be closed for two days.
“The complete demolition of the bridge is underway as Sanral has managed to get demolition experts on site to dismantle the remainder of the bridge. This may take as long as two days,” SANRAL said.
The scene has been handed over to SAPS for investigation.
In 2015, two people were killed and 19 others injured after the M1 Bridge in Johannesburg collapsed.
The structure collapsed onto the M1 at Grayston Drive around 3.30pm on Wednesday, October 14.