Johannesburg bridge collapse: Two dead in South Africa

Two people have been killed and around 20 injured when a temporary bridge collapsed over Johannesburg's main motorway, South African emergency services say.

The bridge collapsed onto the main highway between Johannesburg and the capital, Pretoria, during rush-hour.

The accident happened near a busy slip road to the Sandton financial district.

Emergency services were still attempting to reach some of those trapped, late on Wednesday afternoon.

"At least five of the injured are critical and the numbers may change as there are still people trapped beneath the structure," Chris Botha, a spokesman for privately-owned emergency services company Netcare 911, told the Reuters news agency.

Image copyrightReuters

Image captionBystanders look on as paramedics try to free passengers trapped in a minibus taxi

Image copyrightReuters

Image captionA family reacts after they escaped when the car they were travelling in was trapped

Image copyrightReuters

Image captionParamedics attend to an injured passenger after she was trapped in a vehicle