This afternoon, at approximately 13h30, KwaZulu Private Ambulance Service were dispatched to a head-on collision on the R34 near Hennie's Garage, just outside Vryheid.
Upon arrival, first responders were met with a scene of absolute devastation. Two passenger vehicles had collided head-on with such force that the wreckage left the roadway partially obstructed. Paramedics immediately began a rapid triage process to assess the occupants of both vehicles.
Tragically, one adult male was found to have sustained massive, life-threatening injuries. Despite the swift arrival of emergency teams, he had already succumbed to his injuries and was declared deceased on the scene.
The collision left a trail of critical and serious injuries among the remaining survivors, including four young children. Two young girls (aged between 5 and 10 years) were found in a critical condition, requiring immediate Advanced Life Support intervention to stabilize their life-threatening injuries. One 3-year-old girl sustained serious injuries along with three adults.
Once all the patients were stabilized by paramedics on-site, they were carefully loaded into ambulances and transported to the nearest medical facility for urgent specialist care.
The R34 was initially closed to all traffic to allow emergency personnel a safe environment to treat the critically wounded. The road has since been reopened to one lane of traffic, though significant delays are expected as the clearing of wreckage continues.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) is currently on-site and has initiated a formal investigation into the exact cause of the crash.
Update
One of the critically injured children (age 10) has sadly passed away at hospital, despite the efforts of the paramedics and Doctors