South Africa bus crash kills 45, but 8-year-old survives

The bus, which was carrying people from Botswana to an Easter weekend pilgrimage in South Africa, fell 165 feet into a ravine.

VideoThe bus was transporting people at a Easter church service when he fell from a bridge. and plunged 165 feet into a ravine.CreditCredit...Limpopo Transport Department, via Reuters

An 8-year-old girl was the only survivor after A bus carrying 46 people Thursday, people en route to an Easter weekend pilgrimage in South Africa plunged from a 165-foot bridge into a ravine and caught fire, according to a local transportation department.

The bus was traveling from Botswana to Moria, a religious pilgrimage site in northeastern South Africa, when it left a bridge snaking across the pass of Mmamatlakala after the driver “lost control,” the department said in a statement.

Forty-five people, including the driver, were killed.< /p>

The girl was receiving medical treatment at a nearby hospital, the transport department of South Africa's Limpopo province said in a statement. The child was in serious condition, according to another government statement.

“Rescue operations continued until late Thursday evening, with some bodies being burned beyond recognition, others trapped. inside debris and other scattered at the scene," the transport department said.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called his South African counterpart Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi extended his condolences, the president's office said in a statement on Thursday evening.

The accident occurred in a picturesque mountainous area with winding roads and scenic views about three and a half hours north of Johannesburg. The road on a high viaduct curved sharply over a ravine flanked on both sides by rocky slopes covered in 'trees.

The area attracts a lot of traffic on Easter weekend during a pilgrimage to Moria, seat of the Zion Christian Church, one of the most major cities in the country. Mr Ramaphosa visited last year's pilgrimage, the first since the Covid-19 pandemic. South African border authorities said they were preparing for an influx of visitors to this year's pilgrimage. year.

The nationalities of the victims have not yet been determined.

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Tragedy struck as South Africans were preparing for a four-day weekend, with public holidays on Friday and Monday.

Around the major holidays, South African authorities often take additional measures, such as police roadblocks and advertising campaigns, to help prevent road accidents. South African Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga launched an Easter road safety campaign on Wednesday, pointing out that road accidents often increase during the holiday.

“Easter is a time for celebration, but it is also a time when roads may be more dangerous due to increased traffic and holiday festivities,” the ministry warned.

Africa has historically had among the highest levels of road fatality rates in the world, according to WHO data.