Kriel - Four people were killed and another was injured when a bakkie and a large truck collided on the R545 between Kriel and Bethal in Mpumalanga late on Friday night, paramedics said.
When ER24 paramedics arrived on the scene shortly before midnight, they found that two people were trapped in the bakkie, ER24 spokeswoman Ineke van Huyssteen said.
Both had to be extricated using the jaws-of-life. "The two patients showed no signs of life and were declared dead on the scene. Two others were found lying a few metres away from the bakkie. Both sustained fatal injuries and they were declared dead on the scene."
The truck driver was found walking around on the scene. Paramedics found that he sustained minor injuries, but he later refused transportation to hospital. The exact circumstances surrounding the accident were not known, but police were on the scene for further investigations, Van Huyssteen said.