Update: Truck driver’s lucky escape after Cape winds blow trailer off the road near Huguenot Tunnel

A truck driver in the Western Cape is safe and has escaped unharmed after heavy winds blew the trailer of his truck off a bridge on the N1 as it approached the Huguenot Tunnel, just outside Paarl.

A video of the incident showed one truck blown off its wheels, lying on the road on its side. Another truck is approaching the tunnel and the truck’s trailer can be seen swaying due to heavy winds, ultimately causing the trailer to tip over the bridge.

Dramatic footage of the incident has been shared on social media.

Mike Vinello-Lippert, the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) project manager for the Huguenot Tunnel, confirmed the safety of the driver on Sunday.

Rebecca Campbell, the spokesperson for the Western Cape Minister of Mobility and Public Works, said three people escaped with minor injuries.

Vinello-Lippert said that wind gusts with speeds in excess of 90km/h started on Saturday and had led to the incident on the bridge near the tunnel.

He said that continued wind gusts have hampered recovery operations of the truck that is still lying on the viaduct (bridge-like structure) on the N1.

Huguenot Tunnel closed

Due to these adverse weather conditions the Huguenot tunnel is closed to all traffic until the obstruction on the viaduct has been removed, Vinello-Lippert said.

“We appeal to road users to exercise caution under these circumstances and to avoid the area where possible, especially given the increase in wind speeds today,” he said.

Motorists should also note that the Baden Powell Drive is also closed off at Coastal Park and at Khayelitsha due to heavy winds and sand storms.

Additionally, the Chapmans Peak Drive was also closed due to adverse weather conditions.

-IOL

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