Six people died after the car they were travelling in went into the Zonkizizwe River on the R550 in the City of Ekurhuleni.

The City of Ekurhuleni’s Tikkie MacDonald said they received a distress call on Sunday night, reporting that a car had gone into the river, and they immediately dispatched a rescue team.

“Upon arrival, firefighters found the vehicle lying on its roof and submerged under water,” MacDonald said.

“The vehicle was successfully towed out of the river, and a total of six bodies were recovered from the vehicle and declared dead at the scene by the Gauteng Emergency Management Services.”

The cause of the accident is unknown, and the scene has been handed over to law enforcement for investigation.

In a separate incident, three people were killed and two others injured in an accident in Germiston in the early hours of Monday morning.

According to the City of Ekurhuleni’s Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) spokesperson, William Ntladi, the vehicle in which they were travelling crashed into poles and a concrete wall.

“City of Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) rescue team received the horrific incident exactly at 3.09am this morning at the crossroads of Linton Jones Road and Brammer Street in Germiston,” Ntladi said.

“Three of the occupants sustained multiple trauma injuries and were declared dead on scene by paramedics. The other two escaped with intense injuries and were road transported to medical facilities by ambulances.”

Specialised hydraulic rescue equipment (Jaws-of-Life) had to be used to access and recover five occupants trapped inside the wrecked sedan vehicle.

Linton Jones Road had to be temporarily closed for traffic during rescue operations.

The scene was handed over to Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) officers for an on-scene crash investigation and the removal of the deceased to a pathological facility.

The Star

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