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1 DIES AFTER KOMBI WITH 18 PUPILS RAMS INTO TRUCK

22/03/2017 03:10:00 BY JOSEPH ZULU

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PIGG’S PEAK – A preschool child was killed and 17 other pupils were injured when the kombi they were travelling in rammed into a truck near Swaziland Plantations yesterday. (Right) Five people were seriously injured and rushed to the rfm hospital in anot

PIGG’S PEAK – A four-year-old’s life ended tragically yesterday when a kombi she was travelling in with 17 other children, including older pupils from surrounding schools, rammed into a truck.

The accident happened in the morning along the road near Swaziland Plantations, which is about five kilometres away from Pigg’s Peak.
It was gathered that the kombi was heading for Pigg’s Peak, transporting pupils, while the truck was turning near the plantations.

The kombi is said to have failed to stop while travelling at high speed and rammed into the rear end of the truck.
The kombi also hit into a sign written, ‘Beware, heavy duty trucks turning ahead’.

At least five of the pupils are said to have been critically injured as they lay on stretchers or sat in wheelchairs while being attended to.
Some of the parents said the children blamed speed for causing the driver to fail to stop before he hit the truck.

The impact was quite huge such that the front part of the kombi was completely damaged as the driver’s body hit into the steering wheel.
Despite being seriously injured, the driver miraculously survived the impact.

The truck which the kombi ran into appeared to only have a minor damage and was later driven off into the Swaziland Plantations premises.
As soon as the vehicle crashed, the pupils were quickly rescued by employees of the Swaziland Plantations from the wreckage.
The workers from the forestry company had to lift the vehicle which had trapped some of the pupils.
Screams from the badly injured pupils could be heard from the kombi while the workers frantically tried to assist. Some of the pupils lay unconscious, including the driver who appeared to be stuck to the steering wheel due to the impact of the accident.