Maria Isabella Christina Meyer died when the car she was in went up in flames during the early hours of Friday. Meyer and her husband had been stranded in front of a private school in De Wildt after their vehicle broke down on Thursday afternoon, 16 July.
Police spokesperson Constable Thuto Bobelo confirmed that Mmakau police are investigating the incident.
“The police responded to the scene and, upon arrival, found a female trapped inside the burning vehicle. The victim had succumbed to her injuries and the husband, who was at the scene, was not injured,” he said.
“The local fire department extinguished the flames and the victim was declared dead by paramedics.”
The husband told people at the scene that he had been smoking a cigarette outside the vehicle when the fire started. In a video recorded shortly after the incident, he is heard saying there was a can of petrol in the car that he had not been aware of.
Hartbeespoort News previously reported that the couple had been stranded since about 18:00 on Thursday after their car broke down on the R566 in De Wildt. Local residents helped push the vehicle off the main road to an area in front of the school.
The woman was last seen at about 23:00 when she bought coffee at a nearby fuel station.
“The police investigation into the incident continues,” Bobelo said.
