swaziland times

MNYAMATSINI – A truck driver was crushed to death by a truck after he jumped out of it following a road accident near Mount Malagwane on Wednesday evening.
The tragedy occurred at the foot of Mount Maragwane when a Mozambican truck driver (45) lost control of his horse and trailer truck while descending the mountain, causing the truck to catch fire.
The accident happened around 10 p.m. on Wednesday.
The truck driver allegedly tried to jump out of the truck to avoid death as the truck caught fire and hit the central divider for about 200 metres.
The impact of the truck’s collision with the median strip was mainly concentrated on the truck tractor and on the driver’s side. According to witnesses, the truck driver jumped out of the vehicle and fell on the road. Before he could escape, he was crushed to death by the truck he was driving.

eyewitness

Witnesses said one of the two trailers the truck tractor was pulling slid across two lanes when it hit the median.
At this point, the contents of the trailer (paint in 25-liter buckets) were spilled all over the tarmac.
It was at this point that the truck driver allegedly jumped out of the vehicle. Witnesses speculated that when the driver jumped out of the vehicle, he fell onto the asphalt and was run over by the truck, which continued to slide on the road.They claimed that as the horse and trailer continued to slide down the hill, his body was pushed to the left side of the road until EMS personnel arrived. The driver was covered in the paint he was transporting as the containers were scattered on all lanes of the highway.

Film

Meanwhile, videos and photos taken from the accident scene showed 25-litre containers scattered on the tarmac with their contents emptied. The paint formed a thick layer on the tarmac, which, according to members of the Swaziland National Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services (ENFRES), caused the vehicles to skid and collide.
It is said that after the collision between the horse and the trailer, nine other vehicles collided at the scene. Minutes after the loud noise of the truck hitting the concrete divider, nearby residents rushed to the accident scene and began to loot the spilled paint on the ground. According to sources, besides nearby residents, some motorists also brought containers filled with paint into their vehicles.

It is noteworthy that many accidents have occurred in this area of ​​Malagwane Hills, one of which was when some people looted hazardous chemicals in containers, resulting in some containers being disfigured.The accident follows a five-vehicle accident in Mnyamatsini that killed a passenger, after a Mozambican man driving a truck with horses on board lost control of the vehicle, leaving the treated poles scattered across the road.The accident left three vehicles damaged by treated utility poles, overturned a horse and trailer and trapped the driver inside for nearly eight hours.

On the other hand, an ENFRES source who attended the accident site told this publication that they received calls from members of the public informing them of the accident at Mnyamatsini.He said they immediately rushed to the scene and started looking for the truck driver so they could provide first aid if he was injured.He said that during the search, they found the Mozambican on the side of the road, just a few meters from where the wagon and trailer had fallen. The source said his clothes were soaked in paint and he did not respond to them.Officers said they found the driver had multiple fractures to his body, including in his shoulder blade, arms and legs.

Meanwhile, Royal Swaziland Police Service (REPS) officer Ntombenhle Fakudze said the accidents happened in sequence. She said the first incident was when a truck carrying paint to Manzini overturned, spilling paint all over the tarmac. Fakuze said drivers then had difficulty getting past the accident scene as horses and trailer trucks blocked two lanes leading to Malagwane Mountain. Moments later, she said, a pick-up truck heading towards Manzini hit seven other vehicles from behind, causing a pileup.
“Traffic was blocked for hours following the accident while essential service workers worked to clear the road to ensure smooth traffic flow,” Fakuze said.In addition, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, confirmed the death of a 45-year-old Mozambican driver, who she said was suspected to have jumped from a moving truck and was then run over by the same vehicle.