Carnage ... the aftermath of the crash on the Stuart Highway. PIC: SA Police
A section of the Stuart Highway has been destroyed after a fiery outback crash between a B-Double and a Ute … and the road will remain closed for days, if not weeks.
The driver of a ute – a 23-year-old man from the ACT — and the passenger of a B-double truck — a 57-year-old woman from Adelaide — died when their vehicles collided yesterday at Wirraminna, in South Australia’s far north, between Pimba and Glendambo.
The truck driver, a 49-year-old man from Adelaide, is in a critical condition in hospital.
The road surface of a floodway and its surrounds collapsed under the intense heat from the fire.
Police say the highway will stay closed to all traffic for several days. However, 7NEWS is reporting that the damage could take weeks, and perhaps even months to fix.
Northbound traffic on the Stuart Highway is being diverted at Pimba and vehicles travelling south towards Adelaide are being diverted at Coober Pedy.
On its Instagram page, the William Creek Hotel says the Oodnadatta Track is turning into one of ‘the busiest roads in South Australia with an unprecedented amount of cars and trucks travelling through”.
Major Crash Investigators have flown from Adelaide to investigate the crash.
A total of 21 lives have been lost on South Australia’s roads this year, compared with 17 at the same time last year.
The news report on TV shows that a section of the highway was ripped up – similar to that caused by floods.