Johannesburg - Johannesburg Mayor Parks Tau on Thursday morning said a third person who had been injured in the bridge collapse near the Grayston off-ramp has died.
“We offer our condolences to the family … we will be going to the hospital,” said Tau, who was on the scene of the collapsed pedestrian bridge.
Two people were killed and 21 injured when the bridge collapsed sometime after 3pm on Wednesday smashing tons of steel scaffolding onto traffic on the busy highway.
On the northbound side, a blue Toyota Fortuner with a Durban registration plate was hit by the falling bridge. There were five occupants in the car.
The front passenger, believed to be an adult male, died while the female driver was seriously injured and airlifted to hospital.
On the southbound side, a Toyota Hi-Ace taxi was hit. The driver was killed and two of the passengers in the front were injured.
Investigations into the collapse of the “Great Walk” bridge, which was being built by Murray & Roberts, were still continuing on Thursday morning.
The Grayston off-ramp going south had been cleared and workers were frantically removing debris from the freeway.
Earlier Tau’s spokesperson, Phindile Chauke, said that the M1 freeway remains closed.
Commuters were being urged to use the Gautrain and buses to and from Sandton.
Chauke told 702 Talk Radio that buses taking part in the ongoing Ecomobility World Festival would be free.
Chauke said other transporters including Putco, Gauteng buses, Metrorail and Uber taxi had offered to assist commuters.
Both lanes of the M1 near the Grayston bridge remained closed and the Ecomobility Festival, which restricts motorists from entering Sandton City had been suspended for the day.
ANA and The Star