Driver and learner killed in taxi and train crash near Addo

Police are investigating a case of culpable homicide following a fatal accident between a minibus taxi and a train which claimed the life of the taxi driver and a learner (15).

Twenty school learners were injured in the accident which happened yesterday afternoon in the Addo region in the Eastern Cape.

According to police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu, police were called to the scene at about 15:45 police where the taxi, transporting learners from Samnkelwe Senior Secondary School back home, had collided with a train transporting Manganese near the railway crossing in Nomathamsanqa.

“The driver of the minibus was declared dead at the scene, while 20 passengers from the minibus were rushed to hospital. One of the victims, a 15-year-old boy, sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to a hospital in Gqeberha,” says Naidu.

Unfortunately the boy succumbed to his injuries mere hours after being airlifted to Livingston Hospital.

EMS assisted with immediate assistance on the scene, while medical personnel in Addo and Kirkwood assisted the injured.

This very busy and dangerous crossing is the only legal entry into the Nomathamsanqa informal settlement. Community members and family of the learners gathered here when they were eventually allowed on the scene.

This accident adds to the current crisis with regard to the status of learner transport in the province.

The investigation is ongoing.