Six people were killed in a crash involving a truck and a car on the R56 near Umzimkhulu, southern KwaZulu-Natal, on Friday evening.

Robert Mckenzie, spokesperson for KZN Emergency Medical Services, says two other people were rushed to hospital.

The circumstances leading up to the crash are unknown at this stage and the police will be investigating further.

Other deadly truck accidents

Last week, The Witness reported that four people died in a massive crash near the Mariannhill Toll Plaza on the N3.

According to Netcare911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst, the crash involved six vehicles and two trucks. He said one car was swept beneath a truck. All four occupants inside that car were declared dead on scene.

Concern at alarming accidents involving trucks

The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Sipho Hlomuka has expressed concerns at the alarming accidents involving trucks, saying something extraordinary needs to be done to save the lives of innocent people on the roads.

“We will also be engaging with the trucking industry to agree on fundamental safety improvement plans, compliance and monitoring of their drivers,” said MEC Hlomuka.

KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube, also expressed concerns at the number of truck crashes on KZN’s roads.

Speaking at the launch of KZN’s Integrated Festive Season Safety Plan, she called on the road freight industry to attend to the issue of errant truck drivers whose negligent driving has taken many lives in the province recently.

“We remember vividly the Pongola horrific accident. The multiple truck accidents a few weeks ago claimed more lives.

“Our roads cannot be turned into mass graves and places of untimely deaths.”

She said the Road Traffic Inspectorate has a huge responsibility to make every road user feel responsible.

“We are exploring ideas around the spate of track accidents. This may include enforcing a curfew on freight trucks and redirecting vehicles to less busy roads.”

She added that they are continuing engagements with the freight and logistics industry.

9 killed after car and truck collides in Limpopo

The Polokwane Review reports that nine people, four of them children aged between two and 12, were killed in an early morning crash between a car and a truck.

Transport spokesperson in Limpopo Mafenya Lediga, said the accident happened after a tyre burst, causing the driver to lose control.