A tragic bus crash cost the lives of 45 people after the driver lost control of the vehicle and fell off a bridge in a mountainous area in South Africa, only an eight-year-old survived
A total of 45 people lost their lives when a bus fell off a bridge before erupting in flames in a terrifying crash.
The horrific accident occurred on the Mamatlakala mountain pass in Limpopo, a province in South Africa. Among the casualties, only an eight-year-old girl miraculously survived and has been airlifted to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. Another woman was also airlifted to a hospital but later succumbed to her injuries.
The bus was carrying pilgrims from Gaborone, Botswana, to ST Engenas Zion Christian Church (ZCC) in Moria, a small town outside Polokwane, for an Easter religious event.
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In a statement, the province’s transport department said that “the driver lost control and the bus fell onto a rocky surface, some 50 meters under the bridge and caught fire.”
While rescuers try to recover the remains of the deceased, efforts are challenging as “some bodies burned beyond recognition,” the local department said. Some bodies are “trapped inside the debris and others [are] scattered on the scene,” it added.
South Africa’s Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga visited the crash site to assess the situation. Describing the scene, she said, per SABC: “A bus that was pulling a trailer went over the bridge down into the rocky river. It had about 45 occupants.
“Only one eight-year-old girl survived. She was transported to the hospital. A lady was airlifted and could not make it. These were the people that were travelling from Gaborone Botswana to the church Moria.”
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She expressed her condolences to the grieving families and the Botswana government and pledged government support in repatriating the bodies of the deceased.
Chikunga stated: “We want really to extend our heartfelt condolences to the families but also to the government of Botswana and to the people of Botswana and as South Africa we will try everything to assist so that they go back to their country and families to be buried with dignity.”
