Five children lost their lives and four others were injured when a truck crashed through a school fence and stopped in the parking area.
ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring said ER24 and several other services responded to the scene along the N12, approximately 10km outside of Potchefstroom.
“On arrival, medics found the truck parked near several small container buildings.
“Upon closer inspection, medics found three children lying under the truck while several others were around the vehicle. All the children were believed to be aged between 7 and 11.
“Medics quickly assessed the patients and found four children had shown no signs of life,” said Meiring
Meiring said unfortunately, nothing could be done for them, and they were declared dead.
“Three other children were in critical condition, while two others had severe injuries. Medics treated the patients and provided them with advanced life support. Unfortunately, after a short time, one critically injured child succumbed to their injuries,” Meiring said.
He said once they were treated, medics transported the three other children to a nearby hospital for urgent care, the driver of the truck did escape injury.
“The exact details surrounding this incident are unknown, but local authorities were on the scene for further investigations,” added Meiring.