A male food vendor believed to be in his 30s was killed and two female traders were injured when a tree collapsed on them outside the Ekurhuleni TVET College campus in Springs on Thursday morning.
According to the City of Ekurhuleni’s Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS), its call centre received an emergency alert regarding the incident on Gold Street at approximately 10:44 on 29 October.
Rescue crews rushed to the scene and discovered the man pinned beneath the fallen tree.
“On arrival, crews found one adult male in his thirties trapped under the tree not presenting with any signs of life. The man was declared dead on scene,” DEMS said in a statement.
Street vendors struck while working
DEMS spokesperson Tikkie MacDonald confirmed that all three victims were food vendors operating in the area when the tree came crashing down.
The two adult women sustained moderate injuries during the collapse. Both received emergency medical treatment on the scene before being transported to a nearby hospital by Gauteng Emergency Medical Services.
MacDonald added that the City of Ekurhuleni’s Parks Department was called in to help cut up and clear the fallen tree from the street.
The scene was handed over to the South African Police Service (SAPS), which will open an inquest docket at the Springs Police Station, while the deceased vendor's body was transported to the Springs Government Mortuary.