TONGAAT, SOUTH AFRICA (BNO NEWS) -- Scores of passengers were seriously injured on late Tuesday evening when their taxi was involved in a serious accident in South Africa, officials said on early Wednesday.

The accident happened on the R102 highway near Tongaat, a town in the country's KwaZulu-Natal province. It was not immediately clear what caused the accident, said Chris Botha, a spokesman for Netcare 911.

"The mangled wreckage of the taxi was found lying upside down on the R102," he said. "All the passengers were ejected from the vehicle as it was tumbling down the road."

Botha said paramedics and fire firefighters worked fervently to stabilize the seriously injured patients before they were transported by Netcare 911 and EMRS Ambulance Services to various hospitals in the Durban area.

Taxi accidents happen frequently in South Africa, often resulting in mass casualties as taxis carry many passengers.

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