At least 21 people have been killed and several others severely injured following a head-on collision between two minibus taxis and a third vehicle on a major highway in South Africa, authorities said on Monday. The incident occurred on Sunday night in the Western Cape Province between Prince Albert and Leeu-Gamka, roughly 380 kilometres (236 miles) east of Cape Town, according to the Road Traffic Management Corporation. The agency noted that the death toll "may change as emergency services and authorities in the Western Cape continue their assessment of the scene." Three of the casualties were rushed to hospital but were pronounced dead upon arrival, police said.
The Western Cape Mobility department stated that the crash is believed to have started when the two minibus taxis collided head-on, after which an SUV crashed into them. The N1 highway was closed at the site as the Road Traffic Management Corporation launched an official investigation. Minibus taxis are the main mode of public transport for millions of people in South Africa and are often involved in fatal collisions.
Two separate crashes involving minibus taxis in January left at least 25 people dead, including 14 children. Earlier this month, at least 25 people, including many teenagers, were killed after a bus plunged into a ravine on the Cape Verdean island of Fogo. The fatal crash occurred late on September 5 along the mountainous Campanas de Cima route, where the passenger vehicle left the road and fell around 30 metres down a steep incline.
Cape Verde’s government has announced two days of mourning following the disaster, which the president José Maria Pereira Neves branded "a great catastrophe". A mass funeral for the victims took place on Sunday at Sao Lourenco Church in the town of Sao Lourenco. Local media reported that many of the passengers were primary and secondary school students.
Relatives and local residents carried the coffins, with 18 displayed together inside the church during the service.
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