A truck loaded with thousands of 10kg bags of Tastic rice overturned on the N3 northbound near Van Reenen’s Pass earlier today, sparking chaos as looters raided the scene and a diesel spillage delayed recovery operations.
The crash happened just after 12:30 on Tuesday near the Van Reenen Police Station, causing the articulated truck to block both lanes of traffic heading towards Johannesburg.
According to witnesses, crowds quickly gathered and began looting the cargo. Bags of rice were loaded into vehicles while others were seen fleeing on foot, arms full of stolen goods. The looting continued until law enforcement arrived.
SAPS and the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) responded to the scene, supported by N3 Toll Concession (N3TC) and emergency services. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
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Complicating the recovery was a diesel spillage from the truck’s fuel tank, which prompted a safety response before the road could be reopened. Emergency personnel worked to clean the hazardous slick to prevent secondary accidents.
The N3 remained partially closed well into the afternoon, with heavy traffic backed up for kilometres.
According to the N3TC the scene has been cleared the road was reopened to traffic.
Watch the video of the looting below:
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