SA travel agents die in crash near Arandis

A BUSINESS trip by five South African travel agents to Namibia ended in tragedy yesterday after their vehicle overturned on the B2 road near Arandis.

Two were killed. The group worked for Thompsons South Africa tour operators.They spent Sunday night at the Swakopmund Hotel and Entertainment centre before leaving for Windhoek yesterday morning.Emergency services from Swakopmund, including the Swakopmund Fire Brigade, were called to the scene of the accident near Arandis, about 80 km outside Swakopmund.According to Tony Moller of the Swakopmund Fire Brigade, it is speculated that one of the rear tyres burst, dragging the vehicle off the road.The driver attempted to veer back into the lane, but lost control.The Nissan 4X4 rolled several times and came to a standstill on the wrong side of the road.”It’s just the grace of God that there was no oncoming traffic, otherwise we would have had a double tragedy,” Moller told The Namibian.The driver and another passenger were killed on the spot.Two of the other occupants sustained serious injuries and were in critical condition, while one sustained less serious injuries.The Namibian contacted Thompsons South Africa in Durban, who assisted in providing the names of the victims.The deceased were Aileen Naiker (26) and Shivona Phunwasi (23).The injured are Themba Ndayi, Sumendri Govender and Deevina Nadar.The group worked for Thompsons South Africa tour operators.They spent Sunday night at the Swakopmund Hotel and Entertainment centre before leaving for Windhoek yesterday morning.Emergency services from Swakopmund, including the Swakopmund Fire Brigade, were called to the scene of the accident near Arandis, about 80 km outside Swakopmund.According to Tony Moller of the Swakopmund Fire Brigade, it is speculated that one of the rear tyres burst, dragging the vehicle off the road.The driver attempted to veer back into the lane, but lost control.The Nissan 4X4 rolled several times and came to a standstill on the wrong side of the road.”It’s just the grace of God that there was no oncoming traffic, otherwise we would have had a double tragedy,” Moller told The Namibian.The driver and another passenger were killed on the spot.Two of the other occupants sustained serious injuries and were in critical condition, while one sustained less serious injuries.The Namibian contacted Thompsons South Africa in Durban, who assisted in providing the names of the victims.The deceased were Aileen Naiker (26) and Shivona Phunwasi (23).The injured are Themba Ndayi, Sumendri Govender and Deevina Nadar.