In a macabre incident, a mortuary vehicle crashed while taking a family member of the deceased it was transporting to the place where he passed away. Both the driver of the vehicle and the family member were killed in the accident.

The Ekhurhuleni Metro Police Department said officers attached to its Springs precinct attended the scene on Clydesdale Road at around 16:20 yesterday.

Upon arrival at the scene, they discovered a burnt vehicle belonging to the state mortuary, with the body it was transporting and the driver still inside. A second person’s body was discovered next to a tree. Both were declared dead on the scene.

It is suspected the vehicle lost control and crashed into a tree before bursting into flames.

Metro police said that the family member of the deceased allegedly asked the driver of the mortuary vehicle to pass the place where the person lost his life as part of a spiritual ritual. That is when the accident occurred.