NINETEEN people died and four were injured when a minibus taxi collided with a truck before it caught fire yesterday.
It happened on the R24 that links Vereeniging and Randfontein, in Westonaria.
A young child was among the three critically injured people airlifted to hospital. The fourth person was taken to hospital by ambulance.
At the accident scene bodies were scattered across the road. It appears people were thrown out of the taxi when it rolled.
The R24 road remained closed for the entire afternoon.
Police said those who died at the scene – particularly those who were in the taxi – were on their way either from or to church because of the church uniforms they wore.
Gauteng police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said the driver of the truck was not injured.
Traffic police said it appeared the crash was caused by one of the taxi’s tyres bursting. A spokesman said: “It seems that a tyre on the minibus burst and the driver lost control of the vehicle, which spun into oncoming traffic.”
There was a possibility that the taxi was overloaded but police would only know once investigations were completed.
Westonaria mayor Nonkoliso Thunzi said it was one of the most terrible scenes she had ever seen in Westonaria.
She said anyone who might need information about the accident must go to Westonaria Police Station.
She also said that information about where the bodies were kept would also be provided there.
“It is a shock. I can’t say any more,” she said.
An investigation is under way to determine the cause of the accident, the Road Traffic Management Corporation said.
Earlier, ER24 paramedics reported that the area was “in chaos”.
“Patients were lying all over the scene,” said the service’s spokesperson, Chitra Bodasing. “The taxi apparently rolled multiple times and burst into flames.”