Three people have lost their lives in a devastating head-on collision on the N1 near Leeu-Gamka.

The crash happened on Friday, 11 September, when a minibus taxi travelling towards Beaufort West collided with a Nissan NP200 travelling in the opposite direction.

According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), emergency services arrived to find the bakkie engulfed in flames.

“The bodies of two occupants were later retrieved from the burned wreckage.”

A woman travelling in the taxi also sustained serious injuries but was declared dead at the scene by paramedics.

Six other occupants of the taxi were injured and rushed to a nearby medical facility for treatment.

Leeu-Gamka police have opened a culpable homicide case as they work to establish exactly what caused the fatal crash.

 “The cause of the accident is yet to be established, while the identities of the three people who died remain unknown.”