A serious crash on the R59 Sasolburg–Parys route has left one person dead and another injured following a collision involving a diesel tanker and a light motor vehicle on Tuesday morning.
The crash happened roughly 10km outside Sasolburg heading towards Parys, triggering a full emergency response and bringing traffic on the busy corridor to a standstill.
According to initial reports from the scene, the impact between the tanker and the car caused the diesel tanker to catch fire. Emergency services rushed in and managed to contain the situation while rescuers attended to the occupants of the smaller vehicle.
One occupant was sadly declared deceased at the scene. Another person sustained injuries and was treated on site before being transported for further medical care.
The truck driver reportedly managed to escape the burning vehicle in time.
Motorists are being urged to avoid the route completely and use alternative roads where possible. Heavy congestion is already being experienced on surrounding detour routes, with delays expected to continue for several hours while recovery operations continue.
At this stage, all details remain preliminary as investigators work to piece together what led to the deadly impact.
Drivers in the area are reminded to reduce speed, maintain safe following distances, and expect slow-moving traffic on all alternative routes until the scene is fully cleared.
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