An unknown man in Beit Bridge, believed to be in his late teens, died after he was crushed by a South African haulage truck while he was taking a nap under the truck, police have said.

The local police spokesperson, Chief Superintendent Hosiah Mukombero, said the incident occurred on Saturday at around 15:30 near the buildings of a local clearing company. “The victim was sleeping under the trailer of the truck. It looks like when the driver got into the vehicle and started the engine, he did not notice that there was someone underneath. He crushed the man to death,” Mukombero said.

The body of the deceased was taken to the Beit Bridge District Hospital mortuary.

“We are still trying to locate the deceased person’s next of kin and are appealing to anyone with a missing relative to contact the nearest police station,” Mukombero said.

“We also would like to warn people against sleeping under trucks or any other vehicle as it is risky to do so. Last year, we had a similar case in which another man was crushed while sleeping under a truck, which been parked at a local truck-inn.”