NW truck driver facing culpable homicide charge after 5 kids killed in crash
Police in North West are investigating a case of culpable homicide after five children were killed by a runaway truck.
The pupils, who are from Vyfhoek Primary School in Potchefstroom, were waiting for their school transport when the truck burst through a fence.
Four children died on impact while another passed away in the ambulance.
“The mini truck is reported to have been traveling from Potchefstroom towards the Johannesburg direction on the N12 road and capsized after a front wheel tyre burst and the driver lost control of the vehicle,” says North West Education spokesperson Elias Malindi.
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“(It) then went straight through the school fence plunging on four learners and killing them on the spot while one died in the ambulance at the scene while the paramedics were still attending to her injuries.”
The province’s MEC for Education Mmaphefo Matsemela expressed her shock at the incident.
“We are truly lost for words and we plead with the public to treat the matter with sensitivity as parents are still trying to get into terms with this sudden loss.”
The victims were aged between seven and 11.
