A Horror accident has left nine school pupils’ dead and three in a critical condition. The accident happened this morning at approximately 06:30 on a railway crossing on Buttskop rd in Blackheath.
It is unclear as to how the collision occurred. A train had collided with a minibus taxi which was stationary on the railway crossing. The taxi was filled with school pupils on their way to school.
When ER24 paramedics arrived on scene they found numerous body’s around the wreckage. A total of eight pupils were declared dead at the scene do to various injuries. Four of the children survived the initial impact; however two were still trapped in the mangled taxi. The children were then cut out of the vehicle before they could be extricated and taken to hospital. One of the pupils who were rushed to hospital later died.
This has been the third major accident involving a train in the Cape Town region the past three weeks. ER24 urges road users to be extra vigilant of traffic when crossing railway crossings. The exact cause of the incident will be investigated by authorities.
Andre Visser
ER24