Eighteen people were injured when a minibus taxi, another vehicle and a pedestrian were involved in an accident on Umbilo Road in Durban, just after 07:00 on Tuesday.
Rescue Care paramedics said they arrived on the scene "to find chaos".
"Multiple patients were scattered on the roadway and immediately more ambulances, as well as advanced life support paramedics, were dispatched," Rescue Care said in a statement.
"A total of 18 people sustained various injuries. Two patients – a pedestrian and a passenger – sustained major injuries and needed advanced life support to stabilise them on the scene.
Multiple injured in a collision near Sarnia Roadhttps://t.co/9RucEcdDDK #ArriveAlive @rescuecare pic.twitter.com/96pTf2GbMd
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) April 30, 2019
"[One] passenger was entrapped and the Durban Fire Department had to use the jaws of life to cut the injured free. Once freed, the patient was carefully extricated and loaded into the Lenmed1 helicopter, where she was airlifted to a specialist facility.
"All the injured were transported to various Durban hospitals for further care."
At this stage the events leading up to the crash are unknown, but Rescue Care said the police were on the scene and would be investigating further.
Six dead in crash between bakkie, truck
On Monday, a collision between a tipper truck and a Ford bakkie near Umdloti left at least six people dead and many more injured.
According to Netcare 911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst, paramedics responded to reports of the collision on the M27, between Umdloti and Mount Moreland in KZN, at around 15:00.
KwaZulu-Natal: Multiple deaths and injuries in M27 truck vs bakkie head on. https://t.co/bqX6YmOz0M #ArriveAlive #RoadSafety @Netcare911_sa pic.twitter.com/RwbPtxYQmo
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) April 29, 2019
"Reports from the scene indicate that a light delivery vehicle and a tipper truck were involved in a head-on collision," Herbst said in a statement.
"Tragically, six people sustained fatal injuries and were declared deceased on the scene."
Herbst said the Ethekwini Fire and Rescue Services had used the jaws of life to free one of the critically injured from the wreckage.
15 children injured
On Sunday, 15 children, aged between five and 10 years old, were injured after the vehicle in which they travelled left the road and went down an embankment in 4th Avenue, Clermont, KZN.
According to spokesperson Garrith Jamieson, Rescue Care paramedics arrived on the scene to find the single vehicle down an embankment.
15 Children injured in collision https://t.co/qzwHGP0yuk #ArriveAlive @rescuecare pic.twitter.com/uQxSHsYjuC
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) April 28, 2019
"Paramedics were shown to a nearby house where they found 15 children – aged between five and 10 years old – who had been on the rear of the bakkie [and] had sustained minor injuries.
"Immediately, more ambulances were dispatched to the scene to assist. Once all 15 had been [stabilised], they were transported to a nearby clinic for further care," Jamieson said.
Funeral bus overturned
Also on Sunday, mourners returning from the funeral of victims of a church collapse in KZN were hit with additional trauma when their bus overturned.
The accident happened near KwaCeza, seriously injuring 10 people, according to the provincial health department.
Forty-two others sustained minor injuries.
KZN transport department spokesperson Zinhle Mngomezulu could not be reached for comment.
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