The exact circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation.
Ten people were killed, and five others were left seriously injured after a minibus taxi crashed into a tree in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Picture: ALS Paramedics.
Ten people were killed, and five others were left seriously injured after a minibus taxi crashed into a tree in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
The accident occurred on the MR385 in Cato Ridge on Wednesday afternoon, 7 October 2026.
Preliminary reports indicate the driver lost control while negotiating a bend before the taxi veered off the road and slammed into a tree.
Chaos
ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said emergency responders arrived at a devastating scene shortly after 5pm and found “total chaos and carnage.”
“Paramedics arrived on the scene to find a fully loaded taxi had somehow left the roadway before crashing into a tree. Multiple people were found trapped inside the wreckage, while others had sustained severe injuries,” said Jamieson.
He said additional emergency resources, including advanced life support paramedics and firefighters, were immediately dispatched to assist.
“Immediately, more advanced life support ambulances together with advanced life support paramedics and the eThekwini Fire Department were dispatched to assist,” Jamieson said.
Ten killed
Jamieson said five survivors sustained injuries ranging from serious to critical and were stabilised at the scene before being rushed to nearby hospitals.
He said the fully loaded taxi had suffered catastrophic damage, leaving passengers trapped inside the wreckage and scattered across the crash site.
“Ten male occupants were declared dead at the scene. Rescue teams from the eThekwini Fire Department and the Durban Metro Police Service Search and Rescue Unit used hydraulic rescue equipment, including the Jaws of Life, to free some of the victims trapped in the wreckage.”
Investigations
Jamieson said Authorities said the exact circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation, and the South African Police Service (Saps) and Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) will probe the cause.
KZN Transport MEC Siboniso Duma has directed a road safety team to work with the local taxi association to identify the victims and locate their families.
The tragedy comes barely a week after another deadly crash in Mtubatuba claimed 13 lives in a collision involving a taxi and a truck, raising fresh concerns over road safety in the province.
The road remained closed for several hours as emergency personnel and investigators processed the scene
