According to Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) media liason officer, William Ntladi, the 12 people suffered injuries, some fatal, when the taxi they were travelling in from Springs over turned on the N17 freeway west bound between Rondebult road and Osborn road Boksburg.

It was confirmed that the taxi is not from the Springs Taxi Association, but could be part of the Brakpan Taxi Association.

“When DEMS rescue teams arrived, they found that the minibus was standing across the eastern bound highway obstructing three lanes of traffic,” said Ntladi.

“Some of the patients were lying across the road and two lifeless bodies lay a couple of meters away from each other.

“The third patient was declared dead on scene after the paramedics attempted resuscitation. The deceased were all males.”

Two of the injured were in a critical condition and one other was air-lifted, after a helicopter landed on the highway, to Chris Hani Baragwaneth hospital for further medical care.

The rest of the patients were transported to different hospitals within ekurhuleni respectively for further medical care.

“Apparently the vehicle was travelling west from Springs heading for Johannesburg,” Ntaldi says.

“It rolled several times through the road island and ended on the east bound side of the highway.”

Both directions of the N17 freeway were temporarily closed as a result of this accident till the photographs were taken for investigation purposes.