An eight-year-old boy has died after the ambulance he was being transported in came under attack on the N2 highway, reports Eyewitness News. The child was picked up after he'd been injured in a road collision. Paramedics were en route to Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital when the incident occurred.
Metro EMS spokesperson Robert Daniels says: “The Western Cape government health ambulance, on its way to Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, was ambushed on Borcherds Quarry.
“The crew was gun pointed and robbed, and the ambulance was left immobile. Unfortunately, the eight-year-old patient passed away due to the delay caused by the robbery.”
The report says since 2012, more than 200 attacks on EMS staff members have been reported. Kalksteenfontein, Nyanga, Hanover Park and Tafelsig are among the communities listed on the emergency service's red zone list, which means emergency personnel have to be escorted into the area by police.
[link url="http://ewn.co.za/2017/11/08/ct-boy-8-dies-after-paramedics-ambushed-en-route-to-hospital"]Eyewitness News report[/link]