A hearse transporting a body caught alight en route to a funeral in Paarl, Western Cape on Saturday. The vehicle was travelling to the family of the deceased’s home when the vehicle burst into flames.
Both the hearse and the coffin were destroyed but the body inside the coffin did not suffer damage, said Drakenstein municipality spokesperson Riana Geldenhuys. “Drakenstein municipality’s fire services responded to a fire call involving a hearse at 8.14 am… in Broadway Street in Paarl East,” said Geldenhuys.
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“When the firefighting vehicle and firefighters arrived on the scene they discovered that the hearse, with a body of a deceased person in a coffin inside, was on fire. They went on to extinguish the fire as speedily as possible.” Geldenhuys said the hearse was severely damaged in the fire.
Distraught onlookers watched and wailed in horror as the vehicle was completely gutted in the fire. Willy’s and Gallico, said their insurance company will investigate the matter to uncover what caused the fire, assuring that their vehicles are serviced regularly. The funeral home also expressed their ‘condolences’ to the affected family.
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) December 5, 2020
A hearse caught fire on the way to deliver a dead body for funeral in Paarl 😳😳😳, @GatyeniM what does this mean? #duduZanechallenge pic.twitter.com/NvaGPQqYvT
— ndyebo sibam (@ProsperSibam) December 5, 2020
