Fiery Durban M4 Crash Leaves One Woman Dead and Nine Injured After Bakkie Overturns on Highway
- A bakkie overturned on the northbound carriageway of the M4 Ruth First Highway, triggering a collision involving four vehicles in total
- ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson confirmed that emergency crews arrived to find one vehicle engulfed in flames
- South Africans took to social media to weigh in on the fatal accident, sharing a mixture of reactions to the news
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Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.
KWAZULU-NATAL — One woman has died, and nine others have been injured following a multi-vehicle crash on the M4 Ruth First Highway in Durban on 13 October 2026, with one vehicle catching fire at the scene.
ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said the collision occurred on the northbound carriageway in the vicinity of the Hyper by the Sea.
Emergency personnel arrived to find one vehicle completely engulfed in flames and three additional vehicles extensively damaged. The nine people injured in the crash were transported to hospital. Authorities noted that no serious injuries were reported among survivors.
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Emergency response on the M4
Multiple ambulances and Advanced Life Support paramedics were deployed immediately, alongside the eThekwini Fire Department, Metro Police, and SAPS Search and Rescue.
The fire department extinguished the blaze upon arrival.
"Unfortunately, paramedics found one female believed to be in her 40s, who had sustained fatal injuries in one of the vehicles involved," Jamieson said.
The Durban Metro Police Service later issued a statement, confirming what is believed to be the cause of the crash.
"Initial reports indicate that a bakkie travelling north overturned and landed in the path of oncoming traffic, resulting in a collision involving other vehicles. Sadly, one woman travelling in a light motor vehicle was declared dead. No serious injuries have been reported among the other occupants," the statement read.
How did South Africans react?
Social media users reacted with shock and concern following news of the crash.
@WhiteUncle1986 wrote:
"KZN is a cursed province."
@GuguNjoko commented:
"I never understand the accidents on that road. Drivers are too impatient."
@Cherish_Godfrey asked:
"I wonder why it's easier for cars to catch fire these days."
Tebogo Bridgette stated:
"This is scary."
Mercy Chijeya exclaimed:
"Yoh, so terrible."
Other accidents where vehicles burst into flames
- A head-on collision claimed seven lives when a minibus taxi and car burst into flames in Estcourt.
- A man rescued a woman from a fiery truck accident in KwaZulu-Natal, with the incident captured on camera.
- A runaway truck crashed into several other vehicles before bursting into flames, leaving one person dead.
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Source: Briefly News
