Several schoolchildren have been injured in a multi-vehicle collision in Cato Ridge, west of Durban.
The crash happened on Georgedale Road on Thursday, less than a kilometre from the scene of a separate minibus taxi crash a day earlier that claimed the lives of 10 people.
ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said a taxi transporting schoolchildren collided with a truck and another light motor vehicle.
“Multiple casualties, mostly children with various injuries,” Jamieson said.
He said some of those injured were in a serious to critical condition and were transported to hospital for further medical treatment.
“Immediately, more advanced life support ambulances, together with advanced life support paramedics and the eThekwini Fire Department were dispatched to assist,” Jamieson said.
The cause of Thursday’s collision has not yet been established.
The crash comes a day after 10 people were killed when a fully loaded minibus taxi crashed into a tree on the same road.
KwaZulu-Natal Transport MEC Siboniso Duma has since deployed a road safety team to assist in locating the families of those killed in Wednesday’s crash.
Officials said the minibus taxi driver appeared to have lost control while negotiating a bend on Georgedale Road.
Five other people were seriously injured in that crash.
MEC spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya said Duma was saddened by the loss of life and would provide further updates as the investigation progresses.
The emergency response to Wednesday’s crash involved the eThekwini Fire Department and the Durban Metro Police Search and Rescue Unit.
Emergency crews used the Jaws of Life and other hydraulic equipment to free some of the deceased from the wreckage.
Authorities are continuing to investigate both incidents.