The truck overturned, spilling its load of cooking oil onto the road.
Two people have been killed in an accident involving a tanker and two other vehicles near Bryanston, north of Johannesburg.
The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) confirmed the fatal accident occurred on the N1 Northbound before Winnie Mandela Drive on Friday afternoon.
The JMPD said the truck had overturned, spilling its load of cooking oil onto the roadway.
“As a result, two lanes are currently closed to traffic.”
Accident
Johannesburg Emergency Services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said the authorities were on scene to probe the cause of the accident.
“City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services, rescuers are attending to a truck accident along N1 North William Nicol (Winnie Mandela), where a tanker overturned.
“In the process, two occupants who were in the truck tanker were unfortunately confirmed dead on scene by paramedics. At this stage, the cause of the accident is still a subject of investigation,” Mulaudzi said.
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Road safety
Mulaudzi urged motorists to be cautious on the roads.
“We are pleading with our motorists who are driving along the N1 North William to exercise caution as rescuers are still on the side attending to this incident.”
Precautions
Earlier, Mulaudzi said they would remain on high alert to respond to any incidents after the South African Weather Services (SAWS) warned of the harsh weather conditions that could lead to localised flooding.
Mulaudzi also called on residents in flood-prone areas to avoid crossing the river streams.
“From our side, as the City of Johannesburg emergency management services, together with our specialised teams, which respond to water-related emergencies, like our aquatic rescue unit.
“We remain on high alert together with all our fire stations throughout the City of Johannesburg for any emergencies which might occur throughout the city. Our residents can call our emergency call centre,” Mulaudzi said.
KZN taxi crash
Meanwhile, at least 20 people were injured in a serious multiple-vehicle crash involving two minibus taxis in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
The accident occurred around 7pm on Thursday evening.
ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said they responded to the crash on the N3 Pietermaritzburg-bound near the Brickfield off-ramp.
“On arrival, paramedics found that two fully laden taxis and a light motor vehicle had collided. Multiple casualties were found on scene, and immediately, more ambulances as well as advanced life support paramedics were dispatched to assist.
Injuries
“A total of twenty patients from all three vehicles had sustained various injuries and were stabilised on the scene before being transported to various Durban hospitals for further care that they required,” Jamieson said.
Jamieson said the events leading up to the crash are unknown; however, the Metro Police were in attendance and will be investigating further.
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