VANGUARD
A bus on Thursday plunged off a bridge into a ravine and caught fire in South Africa, killing 45 of the 46 people said to be headed for an Easter conference.
An eight-year-old child was the sole survivor and had been taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The bus had been heading from neighbouring Botswana to Moria in the north of the country, the transport ministry said in a statement
“It is alleged that the driver lost control, colliding with barriers on the bridge causing the bus to go over the bridge and hitting the ground, where it caught fire,” the statement said.
According to South African Broadcasting Corporation SABC, the passengers were pilgrims traveling from Gaborone – the capital city of neighboring country Botswana – to a church for an Easter conference.
Rescue operations had continued till late with some bodies burned beyond recognition, and others trapped inside the debris or scattered over the crash scene.
The bus had a Botswana licence plate, local authorities said, but the nationalities of the passengers was still being checked.
South Africa Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga went to the scene of the crash and promised a full inquiry would be held into its cause.
While South Africa has one of the African continent’s most developed road networks, it also suffers from one of the worst safety records.
Just several hours before the crash, President Cyril Ramaphosa appealed to South Africans to take care when travelling during the Easter week.
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