3 Killed and 65 Injured in Horrific R35 and N3 Accidents

• Three people were killed in an accident on 18 April 2025 when a multipurpose vehicle collided with a truck on the R35 near Middelburg, Mpumalanga
• One of the drivers entered the R35 when it was unsafe to do so, causing the accident in which a toddler died
• Two other accidents on the N3 on the same day resulted in 65 injuries after two trucks collided near Town Hill, and Briefly News spoke to Arrive Alive

For seven years, Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered accidents, fires, outbreaks, nature, weather and natural disaster-related incidents at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

MPUMALANGA — A toddler was among three people who lost their lives in an accident on the R35 in Middelburg, Mpumalanga on 18 April 2025. The accident occurred on the same day in which two trucks collided on the N3, resulting in scores of injuries.

Read also

Safety concerns as luxury train collides with locomotive in Zimbabwe

What happened on the R35 and N3?

According to IOL, a multipurpose vehicle collided with a truck between Bethal and Middelburg. It's believed that one of the vehicles entered the R35 when it wasn't safe to do so. Five other people were injured during the accident, and three sustained serious injuries. They were transported to Middelburg Hospital for treatment.

On the same day, two accidents on the N3 resulted in 65 injuries. The first occurred after midnight near Town Hill in KwaZulu-Natal. Two trucks collided and one of the drivers was rescued from the wreckage and is in serious condition. The second accident happened before 3am.

A multi-vehicle pile up involved 15 vehicles including two buses, two taxis and a passenger bus. One person was seriously injured, three suffered moderate injuries and 61 people sustained a minor injuries.

Two people died and 13 others were injured in an accident that took place on the N4 in Mpumalanga on the same day. The crash victims were reportedly travelling to Mpumalanga from Mozambique when a bakkie collided with an SUV.

Read also

N4 accident leaves 2 dead, 13 others injured in second accident in two days on same stretch of road

The N3 Toll Concession on 17 April predicted that traffic volumes on the N3 would increase because of the Easter weekend. The traffic volumes are expected to peak at 10am and subside at 7pm, especially on Easter Monday.

Briefly News speaks to Arrive Alive

Briefly News spoke to Arrive Alive CEO Advocate Johan Jonck who discussed what could be the cause of accidents during this period.

"Human error and reckless and poor driving are the key factors . These include drunk driving, unsafe speed, driver tiredness, reckless and unsafe overtaking," he said.

Search for N4 accident victim hampered by severe weather

In a related article, Briefly News reported that harsh weather conditions prevented the authorities from searching for a girl who went missing after the N4 accident which happened on 13 April.

The girl was one of the seven passengers on the bakkie which was travelling from a funeral. The authorities launched a search for the little girl. It's believed that the girl is still trapped under a missing canopy of one of the vehicles involved in the accident.

Source: Briefly News