South Africa bus crash kills 45 Easter pilgrims; 8-year-old survives

A tragic crash involving a passenger bus in Limpopo,

South Africa has left 45 people dead and one person seriously injured, the country’s Department of Transport said in a statement on Thursday (28).

The bus had been transporting a group of Easter pilgrims from Botswana, a landlocked country in southern Africa, to Moria, a town in Limpopo.

According to the department’s statement, the driver lost control and collided with barriers on a bridge near Mamatlakala, causing the bus to go over the bridge and hit the ground, catching fire.

Only an 8-year-old survived the crash and was receiving medical attention at a nearby hospital, Limpopo’s Department of Transport and Community Safety said in a separate statement.

Some bodies were burned beyond recognition and others were trapped inside the debris or scattered on the scene, the provincial department said further.

Meanwhile, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa sent his condolences to Botswana and pledged support to the country, his office said in a statement.


--with inputs from agencies