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May Day holiday in South Africa marred by deadly car crashes

Xinhua, May 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

The May Day holiday in South Africa has been marred by two car crashes, which killed a total of 24 people, authorities say.

In the latest accident on Monday, nine people were killed after the minibus they were travelling in hit the trailer of a tractor near the Nyl plaza toll gate in Limpopo province, traffic spokesperson Kagiso Mootane said.

He said the mini bus overturned and burst into fire after the collision, killing all passengers in it.

Another accident happened on Friday when a minibus taxi collided with a truck in Swaneville, Gauteng province, killing 15 people, police said.

Two injured passengers were hospitalized, one of them in a critical condition.

The accidents took place despite an intensified campaign to boost road safety in South Africa.

South Africa has one of the world's highest fatality rates from road accidents, with a particularly high incidence during holidays.

Official figures show about 14,000 people are killed in road accidents in South Africa a year on average. Endit