The huge coil that rolled into oncoming traffic after the truck's brakes allegedly failed. Photo: Supplied
Four deaths have been confirmed so far in the multiple-vehicle collision beneath the railway bridge on the R555 old Witbank road.
Emergency services from Middelburg and Emalahleni are still on the scene, where members of the fire brigade are busy extracting survivors from the vehicles involved.
The death toll could rise, but reliable sources on the scene have so far confirmed four fatalities.
The road remains completely closed while emergency services tend to the injured.
Emergency services are still extracting survivors from mangled wrecks. Photo: Supplied
Early reports suggest the truck, which was carrying a massive steel coil, lost its brakes on the downhill slope.
The heavy coil rolled forward and crashed into oncoming vehicles.
At least one vehicle was almost completely crushed by the coil, which remains in the roadway.
1 -The R555 between Middelburg and Emalahleni will remain closed for hours following a multi-vehicle pile-up under the railway bridge about an hour ago. Four deaths have already been confirmed. Emergency teams are still extracting survivors from mangled wrecks. The steel coil seen here reportedly rolled from a truck into oncoming traffic after the vehicle’s brakes allegedly failed on the downhill slope. Recovery operations are expected to take several hours.
I have been a journalist for two decades, with numerous awards to my credit, both in photography and writing. A brief stint as researcher in the opposition offices of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature, honed my skills as specialist local government reporter, covering crime and courts.
