Five die as car catches fire in smash

Five people died in the early hours of on Monday morning after the vehicle they had been travelling in smashed into another, bursting into flames, in Old Richmond Road in Nagina, near Pinetown. Pictures: Jacques Naude

Five people died in the early hours of on Monday morning after the vehicle they had been travelling in smashed into another, bursting into flames, in Old Richmond Road in Nagina, near Pinetown. Pictures: Jacques Naude

Published May 26, 2014

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Durban - Five people died early on Monday morning when the vehicle they had been travelling in smashed into another and burst into flames.

An official at the scene, who is not allowed to speak to the media, said the driver of a silver Toyota Corolla lost control of the car and crashed into an oncoming bakkie in Old Richmond Road in Nagina, near Pinetown.

“There had been six people in the Corolla, including the driver. A passing motorist saw the accident and stopped.

“He managed to pull out one passenger from the Corolla before it burst into flames,” he said.

The official said the driver of the bakkie also survived and was in hospital.

Police spokesman, Captain Thulani Zwane, confirmed the accident saying full details were not immediately available.

Siphiwe Mkhize, 54, the owner of the Corolla, was at the scene on Monday morning and told the Daily News that two of his children had died in the accident - Khulekani Mkhize, 24, and Nokuthula Ndlovu, 25.

Khulekani was a final-year Business Management student at the Durban University of Technology.

“I don’t know who was driving the car at the time of the accident, but at around 8pm Khulekani took the car and left home alone,” he said.

The father said Nokuthula lived in KwaDabeka with her mom, while Khulekani lived with him in KwaNdengezi.

“I got a call from Khulekani’s friends saying they had seen the car in flames,” he said.

The road closure saw many people unable to get to work, including teachers and nurses.

A school principal from Asiphephe Primary in Oakland said she and some of her staff had been stuck in traffic from 7am.

Daily News

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