Two people were killed and eight others were injured, four critically, in a head-on collision on the N3 along Van Reenen’s Pass between Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal and Harrismith in the Free State on Sunday afternoon, paramedics said.

ER24 paramedics, along with other services, arrived on the scene shortly after 4pm to find two wrecked cars in the middle of the road, ER24 spokesman Russel Meiring said.

“Motorists had stopped their vehicles and had begun to render assistance to the patients. Local authorities began to close off the road while paramedics began assessing the patients.

“A woman was found lying [in] the one vehicle while a man was found in the second vehicle. Unfortunately, both patients had already succumbed to their numerous injuries. Nothing could be done for them and they were declared dead.”

Eight other people were attended to on the scene. Four were found to be in a critical condition while four others had sustained moderate injuries.

Paramedics treated the injured and provided the critically injured patients with advanced life support interventions. Once treated, the patients were transported to Ladysmith Provincial Hospital for further care.

The details surrounding the accident were not yet known, but local authorities were on the scene to investigate, Meiring said.

– African News Agency (ANA)