Five people were killed early this morning when two sedans collided on the N17 toll road between Ermelo and Davel.

The crash occurred around 1:00 this morning.

Among the deceased are the driver of the Ford sedan and four passengers, which include three children.

The driver of the Toyota sedan and one passenger, sustained serious injuries.

Indications are that the Toyota Sedan was travelling from Davel to Ermelo while the Ford sedan was allegedly stationary on the shoulder of the road in the direction of Davel to Ermelo at the time of the crash.

The deceased were burnt beyond recognition when the Ford sedan caught fire on impact.

The police working with the Safety Engineering Unit in the department have already began investigations.

The Mpumalanga MEC for Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Mr Vusi Shongwe, has called on motorists to be extremely alert – especially at night, when visibility is reduced.

He said that our roads are becoming increasingly dangerous mainly due to human behaviour.

“Despite endless messages that are spread through all available platforms, people seemingly do not take to heart the importance of using the road safely judging by the number of these deadly accidents.

“We will continue to work hard as a department to implement road safety education programmes and law enforcement operations. Our law enforcement officers will continue with zero-tolerance towards bad driver behaviour,” Mr Shongwe said.

He has also reminded motorists to refrain from breaking the Disaster Management Act by driving during curfew times.

In line with the current adjusted alert level 4, the curfew is between 21:00 and 04:00.

The police will also investigate the violation of the regulations by those involved in the crash.