EMRS spokesperson Robert Mckenzie said paramedics from KwaZulu-Natal Emergency Medical Services and several private ambulance services responded to the incident.

“When they arrived, they found that the trailer being pulled by a tractor, which had a water tanker on it, had overturned,” he said.

“Several people had been on the trailer at the time. Sadly, four people have passed away in the incident. The paramedics treated seven other patients who were all in serious condition.”

The patients were stabilised and transported to local hospitals for further treatment.

The cause of the crash was not known and would be investigated by the police and labour department, Mckenzie said.