Emergency Medical Services' (EMS) spokesperson, Sipho Towa, says the 12th victim, who was at the state mortuary, was positively identified on Monday 19 December. 

Twelve people lost their lives as a result of a head-on collision between a minibus and a truck in the early hours of Monday 12 December 2022. The accident occurred between Verkeerdevlei and Winburg in the Free State.

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The twelve victims include women, men and children. Towa said on arrival at the scene on the morning of the accident, it was discovered that a truck and a taxi collided head-on and that bodies were lying on the side of the road, with some trapped in the taxi. At least ten people were declared dead on the scene, while it is understood some were found beneath the taxi while the scene was being cleaned up. The truck driver escaped the accident with no injury and was later arrested and charged with culpable homicide. He has since been released on bail.

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While at least ten people were declared dead on the scene, a few others who survived with critical to minor injuries were transported to hospitals for immediate care. Amongst those who were admitted, there was one boy and two girls, aged between 10 and 12 years old, who were admitted with serious injuries. Four patients were recently released whilst two remained in the Pelonomi Tertiary Hospital for medical care. 

The minibus taxi was travelling from Johannesburg, Gauteng, to Sterkspruit, Eastern Cape, when the accident occurred.

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The collision occurred days after a collision involving a bus and a truck occurred on the N8 between Botshabelo and Bloemfontein. That accident claimed 9 lives, while more than 20 people were admitted to different hospitals with varying injuries. 

According to Interstate's Stakeholder Relations Manager, Vuyo Ondala, the patient who is understood to be the last to pass away was initially discharged from the hospital before she succumbed to injuries sustained from the incident. 

A spokesperson for the provincial department of the Police, Roads and Transport, Hillary Mophethe, said “it is alleged that the truck driver overtook the bus, and when he noticed an oncoming vehicle he then tried to avoid a head-on collision by swaying his truck to the left lane but this led to a collision with the bus.”

OFM News