Ekurhuleni - Five people were killed instantly, and two were critically injured in a car crash in Ekurhuleni in the early hours of Sunday morning, the city said.
Ekurhuleni disaster and emergency management services (DEMS) responded to a crash alarm on the R59 freeway northbound just before the Swartkoppies turn-off at about 2.45am, DEMS spokesman William Ntladi said.
On arrival, it was found that three cars were involved in a crash. In one hatchback, six occupants were accounted for and still trapped inside the wreck.
"Five occupants, including the driver, were declared deceased while the sixth with critical injuries was transported to a medical facility for further treatment. One other patient hospitalised with critical injuries as well was the driver from the other hatchback vehicle."
A rescue team from emergency services had to use specialised rescue tools to recover the dead and injured from one wrecked vehicle. An inquest docket had been opened with the Ekurhuleni metro police department, Ntladi said.