Eight South Africans killed in hippo road-kill truck smash

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Eight South Africans were killed when a pick-up truck ploughed into a crowd of people butchering a road-kill hippopotamus for meat, police and emergency services said on Sunday. The hippo had been hit and killed by a truck on Saturday evening in the northern province of Limpopo, attracting large numbers of people from nearby villages intent on chopping up its corpse. They were then hit by a pick-up truck whose driver failed to spot them in the dark, police said. "The people thought they were getting free meat. It's very unfortunate that this had to happen," said Limpopo police spokesman Hangwani Mulaudzi. "It's not something that happens all the time." A further 12 people were injured, including the driver of the pick-up, who faces possible culpable homicide charges when he leaves hospital, Mulaudzi added.