ALS Paramedics
The KwaZulu-Natal Transport Department says it's trying to locate the families of five people who died in a horrific accident on the N3 near the Mariannhill Toll Plaza on Friday evening.
The driver of a VW Polo lost control of the vehicle, colliding with a minibus taxi.
The taxi, carrying 17 passengers, plunged 50 meters down a steep embankment.
Multiple officials from the Road Traffic Inspectorate, SAPS, Durban Metro Police, and the Road Traffic Management Corporation spent several hours recovering the bodies from the scene.
12 people, whose injuries ranged from serious to minor, were taken to hospital.
Transport Department spokesperson, Ndabezinhle Sibiya, said the victims had been on their way to Ixopo when the accident happened.
"We will continue to interact with the taxi association from Ixopo, so we can keep in touch with the relatives of the victims and also interact with the Ixopo police."
He says a police officer was among the deceased.
"We lost four women and one man, one woman was a police officer in full uniform. The MEC has saluted the emergency personnel, Road Traffic Inspectorate, eThekwini Metro Police, as well as rescue teams for their dedication."
