PATENSIE – One person has died and 58 others were injured after a truck transporting seasonal farm workers overturned on the R331 near Patensie in the Sarah Baartman District on 24 July.

According to Eastern Cape Department of Transport spokesperson Makhaya Komisa, the truck, which was towing a trailer, reportedly lost control before overturning.

“The injured passengers have been rushed to various hospitals for treatment,” said Komisa.

He added that emergency crews had cleared the wreckage from the scene and that the road had been fully reopened to traffic.

“The Department continues to urge motorists to reduce their speed and drive cautiously,” said Komisa.

Transport and Community Safety MEC Xolile Nqatha conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and wished the injured passengers a speedy recovery.

In the Western Cape, two people died on Tuesday (21 July) evening on the R45 in Franschhoek following an accident involving a truck carrying farm workers and a car. The accident claimed the life of the driver of the light motor vehicle, as well as one passenger who was sitting on the back of the truck, which was carrying 28 other workers from a nearby farm.

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