Update: 33-year-old soldier killed as truck carrying tank overturns
400 military vehicles are expected to take part in 'Armed Forces Day'
The SANDF have confirmed that a 33-year-old soldier died when a truck (tank transporter) and the army tank it was transporting overturned on Monday (February 13) on Oliviershoek Pass. His name has not been released as yet.
The tank formed part of a convoy of vehicles being transported to Durban for ‘Armed Forces Day’, which will be held next week.
The heavy army transport truck carrying a Mark 2 Olifant main battle tank lost control and rolled on Oliviershoek Pass, killing the 33-year-old soldier instantly and seriously injuring another. A third soldier sustained moderate injuries. The two injured soldiers were rushed to a nearby hospital.
The tank, weighing in at a massive 60 tons, was damaged.
Rumours published on some news sites that the injured were inside the tank at the time of the crash are totally false; tanks are always transported unmanned.
Army engineers have since recovered both vehicles. The pass was closed for several hours on Tuesday during the recovery operation.
The tank was to form part of more than 400 military vehicles that are expected to take part in ‘Armed Forces Day’ events on February 21 – including Olifant tanks, Rooikat armoured cars, Ratels, and G5 and G6 artillery – to be held in Durban, starting on Tuesday.
In June 2014, a tank transport had a similar accident on Van Reenen’s Pass.
The female officer driving the vehicle was credited with heroically saving the lives of her crew and other motorists when she drove her truck into an arrestor bed in a desperate attempt to stop the truck.
The battle tank was also damaged, but nobody was injured.
Read also: SANDF tank crash Van Reenen
Read also: Young female Lieutenant tries to save lives
Initial story: 1 fatality as abnormal-load overturns
Updated story: Update: SANDF tank rolls on Oliviershoek Pass, killing one solider and injuring two
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