A head-on collision shortly after 10pm on Saturday night (October 12) just outside Ladysmith, KZN, tragically claimed the lives of eight people, including two young children.

The collision, between a Porsche SUV and a Fortuner SUV, took place on a bend and caused one of the vehicles (the Porsche) to burst into flames.

All four occupants in the Porsche were burnt beyond recognition, causing delays in removing the bodies.

Emergency services responding to the scene included Ladysmith Public Safety,  Ladysmith Fire Brigade, SAPS, RTI, KwaZulu-Natal Emergency Medical Services (KZN EMS) and mortuary services.

The occupants of the Fortuner included two young children as young as five years old.

The bodies were cut free using the jaws-of-life.

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The accident scene had not been cleared by 4am on Sunday morning.

The scene is expected to be cleared shortly.