Cape Town – Seven people were killed in a horror crash between an articulated truck and a taxi in Melkbosstrand in Cape Town on Tuesday morning.
City of Cape Town traffic services spokesperson Maxine Bezuidenhout said the accident occurred at 08:46 at the intersection of the R27 and Birkenhead Road.
SAPS spokesperson FC Van Wyk said that according to reports, the taxi was turning into Birkenhead Avenue from the R27 at the traffic lights, when the truck was approaching direction Atlantis.
Russel Meiring, a spokesperson for ER24, said its service, together with Life Healthcare, Community Medics, provincial emergency medical services and the fire department arrived on the scene to find the truck and taxi on the sides of the busy road.
“The local authorities closed off the road while medics and rescue personnel tended to the patients,” Meiring said.
“On assessment, medics found that seven people, some still trapped inside the taxi, had sustained fatal injuries in the collision. Nothing could be done for them, and they were declared dead.
“Ten other patients were assessed and found to have sustained critical to minor injuries. The patients were treated and provided advanced life support before being transported to nearby hospitals for further care.”
Meiring said s critically injured patient was airlifted to the hospital by the AMS Medical helicopter.
It could not immediately be confirmed if the drivers survived the crash.
Police were investigating the cause of the crash.
Watch | Seven dead, ten injured in Cape Town truck and taxi accidenthttps://t.co/0HHlM9IN13 pic.twitter.com/iQHAgfCfbe
— SA Trucker (@rsa_trucker) June 8, 2021
