The only survivor after the vehicle fell from a height of 50 meters and the fire was an eight-year-old boy who was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
An eight-year-old boy is the sole survivor after a bus carrying 46 other people fell 50 metres from a bridge in South Africa into a ravine and caught fire.
The boy, whose name was not identified, was taken to hospital with serious injuries, the Transport Ministry said Thursday.
The passengers were pilgrims traveling from Botswana’s capital, Gaborone, to an Easter service at the St Engenas Christian Zionist Church in the northern South African city of Moria.
“It appears that the driver lost control and crashed into the bridge’s barriers, causing the bus to cross the bridge and fall to the ground, where it caught fire,” a government said.
Some bodies were burned beyond their popularity and others were trapped in the rubble or scattered in the crash in the northeast, about 300 kilometers north of Johannesburg, the branch said, and rescue efforts continued through the night.
The bus, which was towing a trailer, according to SABC television channel, plunged from the Mmamatlakala bridge connecting two hills between Mokopane and Marken in Limpopo province, the state shipping division said. The vehicle fell 50 meters (164 feet) onto the rocky ground below. he said.
The Christian Zionist Church is headquartered in Moria and its Easter pilgrimage attracts thousands of people from all over South Africa and neighboring countries. This year will be the first Easter pilgrimage to Moria since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The bus had Botswana license plates, the local government said, but the nationality of the passengers is still being verified.
Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga, who was already at the scene as part of a road protection campaign, visited the crash site and said the South African government would assist in the repatriation of the bodies and conduct a thorough investigation into the reasons. of the twist of fate.
Chikunga offered his “sincere condolences to the families affected by the tragic bus accident. “He said, “Our minds and prayers are with you at this difficult time. “
“We continue to inspire at-fault drivers with increased vigilance at all times, as more and more people are on our roads this Easter weekend. “
Although South Africa has one of the most evolved road networks in Africa, its safety record is one of the worst.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa sent his condolences to Botswana and pledged help to the country, his workplace said in a statement. Hours before the crash, he had asked South Africans to exercise caution when travelling during Easter.
“Let’s do everything we can to make Holy Week safe. Easter doesn’t have to be a time when we sit idly by waiting to see the statistics on tragedies or injuries on our roads,” he said in a statement.