KwaZulu-Natal authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of a crash in which five people were killed in a taxi on the N3 towards Pietermaritzburg last night.

Thirteen other people were injured in the incident.

It happened when the driver lost control of the taxi and it went down an embankment.

Transport Department spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya says one of the deceased was a police officer.

“The MEC received a final report from the highly dedicated team from the Road Traffic Inspectorate. Following the horrific accident that resulted in the death of five people, including one female police officer who was in uniform. He expressed his sadness at the death of five people as a result of a reckless Polo driver. We wish to indicate that this morning we will continue to interact with the taxi association from Xopo.”