CROCODILE BRIDGE – A military truck overturned and fell off the Crocodile River low level bridge in the Kruger National Park (KNP) at 06:30 on Monday morning.
According to eyewitnesses it was not speeding.
Diesel spilled into the river and a company was appointed immediately to clean it up to avoid possible pollution.
“Although a spill clean-up company is underway, we immediately activated the water tanks at the Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp as back-up for clean drinking water until the spill clean-up is completed and the water in the river is evaluated. We would like to appeal to both staff and the public to please pay extra attention when driving on the KNP roads in particular those with low level bridges”, said the KNP Managing Executive, Glenn Phillips.
The four occupants were not seriously injured.
Phillips advised tourists of large vehicle restrictions on gravel roads inside the KNP. Vehicles such as caravans and buses with a carrying capacity of 4000kg or more than 25 seats should keep to the tar roads.
“The weight restriction on vehicles using gravel roads is due to the negative impact that heavier vehicles have on the surface, the relief of the road not designed for large and long vehicles with low approach angles (resulting in some of them getting stuck in some of the dips) and the negative impact large vehicles have on the guest experience e.g. dust, noise, etc.” concluded Phillips.
