The festive season road accident death toll is mounting across the country.

Three people died instantly in an accident in the Eastern Cape on Monday morning, with more than a dozen injured.

Eastern Cape traffic deputy director Charles Bramwell said the accident occurred between Cradock and Tarkastad at about 6am.

“A Toyota minibus was travelling from Cape Town to Mthatha when the driver lost control on a bend. It is suspected that a tyre burst caused the driver to lose control,” he said.

“The vehicle left the road, went through a steel barrier and down a small cliff.”

Bramwell said three passengers, two of them children, were critically injured and were airlifted to Cradock Hospital. One of the children had to be taken to Port Elizabeth for treatment.

Eight passengers were seriously injured and seven sustained slight injuries.

Bramwell said a case of culpable homicide was being investigated.

Meanwhile, in Limpopo, three people – including two children – were killed in another accident.

Authorities said a Toyota Fortuner collided head-on with a minibus on the N1 southbound near the Mantsole Traffic Control Centre.

“Three people including two young children were declared deceased. Four passengers sustained very serious injuries,” said Arrive Alive.

Another 13 people sustained serious injuries, while 11 others escaped with minor injuries. Some of the patients had to be airlifted to receive medical treatment.

The cause was cited by Arrive Alive as a suspected burst tyre and speeding.

In a third accident, four people were killed following a collision involving two taxis on the R61 between Beaufort West in the Western Cape and Aberdeen in the Eastern Cape, according to Traffic SA. Two of the patients died in hospital.

Traffic SA earlier announced that 27 people died in road crashes in the Western Cape between December 14 and 16.

(Source: TimesLive)