The incident brings the number of road deaths in a single weekend in the Free State to 15, after five people died outside Harrismith on Saturday.
Several passengers of a minibus taxi were killed in an accident on the N1.
At least ten people have been killed after the taxi collided with a large truck about 90 km from Kroonstad.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and her deputy Mkhuleko Hlengwa have since instructed the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) to prepare a preliminary report within 48 hours.
Tragedy on Sunday morning
The accident occurred at around 4.40am while both vehicles were traveling towards Johannesburg.
Three men and seven women were pronounced dead at the scene, while one person was taken to Boitumelo Hospital in Kroonstad with serious injuries.
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Free State Emergency Medical Services spokesperson Sipho Towa confirmed this The citizen that the taxi hit the back of the truck, but that the cause of the accident will be investigated.
“RTMC The crash investigator was on scene while police conducted the investigation,” Towa said.
Creecy and Hlengwa expressed sadness over the incident and reminded motorists to drive carefully and diligently to avoid the loss of loved ones.
“Long-distance drivers are urged to take a break after every 200 km or every two hours of driving. This is thanks to the proven fact that fatigue is a silent killer,” the Ministry of Transport said.
Five died on Saturday
The incident on Sunday morning comes a day later five people died on the N3 outside Harsmith.
Towa stated that a head-on collision between a truck and a car occurred in the early evening, with emergency services arriving on the scene at around 8 p.m.
The incident occurred hours after acting Free State Premier Jabu Mbalula and MEC Monyatso Mahlatsi concluded their road safety campaign in the province before the holidays.
Mbalula previously stated that road safety is a collective responsibility and asked all road users to take action to prevent accidents and fatalities.
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Jarryd Westerdale
www.citizen.co.za