A car accident in Pinetown, South Africa has devastated the community, as a speeding 18-wheeler crashed killing 27 people and leaving dozens more injured.
"Two of the taxis had their roofs and sides completely ripped off," Sapa reporter Gio Stolley told IOL news.
Up to 80 people are expected to be recovering from injuries from the deadly crash. Stolley said bodies found at the crash site were moved over to the side of the road and covered with silver blankets.
The driver has been identified as a 23-year-old Swaziland national, the Christian Post reports. He was caught on video driving through a green light, causing him to crash into a car and four minibus taxis.
The man was arrested on Friday and is reportedly face charges of "culpable homicide" and reckless driving.
"I have never seen an accident as terrible as this one; bodies are scattered everywhere. It is going to be a very long night," Kwanele Ncalane, of the KZN Transport Department, told IOL News.
According to the Christian post, 10 people injured are in critical condition and seven are listed as serious condition.
Darryn Evans, of Duzi Brakes, a company specialising in brakes on heavy vehicles, told IOL News he had seen many accidents like the one in Pinetown, and most were because of lack of maintenance to the vehicle.
"If the truck was fully loaded, it would never have been able to stop in an instant; however, a truck with good brakes will be able to stop safely but never instantly," Evans said. "There is a lot that needs to be taken into consideration, but without actually being on the scene, this is just speculation."
You can check out the footage of the deadly car crash in the embedded video below. WARNING: The video does contain graphic images; viewer discretion is advised.
