The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health has launched an investigation after a patient transport vehicle caught fire on Monday while transporting 52 patients along the N3 outside Pietermaritzburg.
All of them were safely evacuated, reports News24, and taken to Grey’s Hospital via three alternative 22-seater buses.
Department spokesperson Nathi Oliphant said the patients were being transported from the uThukela Emergency Medical Rescue base, and that an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the blaze.
“This was an isolated incident, and our EMS patient transport buses remain among the safest, staffed by highly trained personnel,” he added.
Previous crashes
A fortnight previously, two separate accidents involving Emergency Medical Services (EMS) transportation vehicles had been reported.
In the first one, a bus from its Nakekela Hub in Manguzi overturned near Mbazwana in the uMkhanyakude District while transporting 60 patients and two crew.
The vehicle had allegedly hit a cow before the driver lost control.
One patient, who was trapped in the wreckage, died, while the rest of the passengers and two crew had minor injuries and were taken to eMseleni Hospital.
In the second incident, an EMS vehicle taking two patients from Itshelejuba Hospital to Ngwelezane Hospital overturned, also after hitting a cow. No one was injured.
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