5 tourists die in Kruger Park

2007-11-30 11:46

Nelspruit - Five foreign tourists, including a child, were killed in an accident in the Kruger National Park (KNP) on Thursday, the park said on Friday.

The accident occurred when the vehicle in which the tourists were travelling struck the edge of a bridge, before plunging into a river.

"The tourists had approached the park's Phalaborwa gate at around 16:00. They were headed for the Mopani camp and somehow when their vehicle reached the Letaba River, their Mercedes Benz station wagon hit the edge of a bridge and the car fell into the river," said spokesperson William Mabasa.

Five people died at the scene while the driver of the vehicle survived.

The driver was taken to Phalaborwa Hospital.

KNP managing executive Bandile Mkhize expressed his sincere condolences to the families of those killed.

Mkhize said: "We stress that visitors should always take into account the distances between our entrance gates and the various camps and the fact that there are speed limits.

"The speed limits are not only in place for the safety of the wildlife, but also for people's safety."

- SAPA