JOHANNESBURG, Oct 11, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Seven high school boys and a driver
were killed in a head-on collision in eastern South Africa Friday,
authorities said, in the latest of a series of deadly crashes on the
country's roads.

The vehicle carrying the students crashed into a truck on the N2 highway
about 100 kilometres (62 miles) northeast of the coastal city of Durban in
the early morning hours, government and rescue officials said.

The seven high school teenagers in the vehicle and their driver were killed,
IPSS medical rescue spokesperson Samantha Meyrick told AFP. The driver of the
truck was in a critical condition.

It appeared that the driver of the vehicle carrying the students lost control
and it veered into the oncoming lane and collided with the truck, the
KwaZulu-Natal provincial government transport office said in a statement.

South Africa has one of the most developed road networks on the continent,
but also one of the worst road safety records, in part due to reckless or
drunk driving and vehicles that are not roadworthy.

More than 6,400 people died in road accidents in South Africa in 2019,
according to a report this year by the government statistics office.

In July 12 children were killed when a minibus taking them to school near
Johannesburg overturned and burst into flames after being hit by another
vehicle.

In August, six children were killed after a train collided with a school bus
near Middelburg, about 180 kilometres northeast of Johannesburg.