Terrifying moment a truck and a caravan are blown off a bridge as gale force winds hit South Africa
A truck and a caravan were dramatically blown off the same bridge in South Africa by powerful winds, terrifying footage has revealed.
Several regions in the country’s Western Cape were devastated by the storm this weekend, with trees ripped from the ground, branches falling dangerously onto built-up areas and roofs torn off buildings.
Two particularly shocking incidents took place on a bridge on the N1 highway, near the Huguenot Tunnel, about 40 miles east of Cape Town.
The clip from the first incident shows a truck trailer being blown off the side of the bridge as drivers battled the powerful gusts of wind.
Filmed by someone driving a vehicle behind the truck, another trailer can be seen further down the road, already on its side and blown over.
Left: A truck trailer is seen blown off a bridge in South Africa’s Western Cape region, which was hit by powerful storms over the weekend. Right: A caravan disappears along the side of the same road on Sunday, while other drivers have lost control of the vehicle due to the wind
Suddenly, the trailer of another truck behind the cut-down compartment begins to tip sideways near the edge of the bridge, as it is caught like a sail by the high winds.
It wobbles once, and then again, and topples completely over the side barrier of the bridge, flipping upside down and falling over the side of the overpass.
People helping the truck, which was already on its side on the road ahead, can be seen taking cover behind the overturned trailer as the clip switched off.
A photo later taken over the side of the bridge showed the destroyed trailer, the goods it was carrying spilling into the ravine below.
A separate, even more shocking video – reportedly from the same stretch of road on Sunday – shows the wind causing further damage to motorists.
As a number of cars exit a tunnel, they are hit by high winds, causing them to sway across the road, with one left perpendicular to the road.
While another SUV is seen flashing emergency lights, swerving to avoid debris, a caravan is seen being grabbed by victory and blown to the edge of the bridge.
As in the first clip, the wind is so strong that the caravan is caught by the gust, falls over and blows over the edge, disappearing from view.
Miraculously, reports from South Africa stated that there were no deaths or serious injuries in either incident. Three minor injuries were reported in the first.
A tree is seen falling over due to strong winds in South Africa
Fallen trees are seen blocking roads in storm-hit South Africa
Both clips showed the two vehicles that were blown off the bridge being towed away, meaning no one was inside at the time.
Due to the extreme weather, the bridge was closed for several hours on Sunday, but reopened later.
IOL reported that South African weather services issued a level 9 storm warning in the Overberg, Cape Winelands and Helderberg areas on Monday, forcing schools in the region to close.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said: “We have decided to close all schools in the Overberg, Cape Winelands and Helderberg areas tomorrow.”
Disaster Risk Management spokesperson Charlotte Powell said most major weather impacts are wind-related.
She said roofs had been blown off in several regions, adding that in one area a fire had destroyed at least nine properties and sent boulders along a main road.
The images of the vehicles being blown off the bridge came less than two weeks after a horror bus crash in South Africa saw a bus plunge off a bridge into a ravine before bursting into flames – killing 45 and leaving just one survivor, an eight-year-old girl.
According to the Ministry of Transport, the bus driver lost control of the vehicle on March 28 and rammed it into a bridge in the northeastern province of Limpopo.
It landed on a rocky surface about 50 meters below the bridge, known as Mamatlakala Pass, before bursting into flames.
Firefighters at the scene of a bus accident on the R518 in the Waterberg district of Limpopo
Photos show the wreckage of the bus engulfed in flames after it plunged from the bridge
Black smoke engulfed the passenger bus and firefighters were photographed at the scene
The bus plunged into a ravine after the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into barriers on the bridge
The searches were ongoing until late Thursday night, the provincial government said
The passenger bus was transporting pilgrims from neighboring Botswana to Moria, a town in Limpopo, for a church service over the Easter weekend.
All but one occupant, including the driver, were killed. The child, the only survivor, was seriously injured and is being treated in hospital.
Searches were ongoing late Thursday night, the provincial government said, but many bodies were burned beyond recognition and were still trapped in the wreckage.
The bus had a Botswana license plate, local authorities said, but the nationalities of the passengers were still being checked.