Bus Plunge Off South African Bridge Claims 45 Lives

Forty-five people have died in South African after their bus drove off a bridge.

According to the authorities, a group of passengers, who were travelling from Botswana’s capital city, Gaborone, to attend an Easter service in the town of Moria, were involved in a tragic accident.

The incident occurred in Limpopo province, which is located in the north-east of the country. The bus reportedly crashed through a barrier and caught fire upon hitting the ground. The passengers were identified as pilgrims.

South African public broadcaster SABC reported that a vehicle lost control and went off a bridge on the Mmamatlakala mountain pass between Mokopane and Marken, approximately 300km north of Johannesburg.

According to Colin Msibi, a spokesperson for the Department of Transport, the surviving girl is presently in recovery. “in hospital and in stable condition.”.

“What we suspect is that when the bus hit the barrier of the bridge, the child was ejected out of the bus, and that is how the child was able to survive,” Mr Msibi said.

Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga, who went to the scene of the incident, extended her “heartfelt condolences to the families affected by the tragic bus crash”.

The South African government promised to assist with repatriating the bodies and conducting a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash..

“Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time,” she added. “We continue to urge responsible driving at all times with heightened alertness as more people are on our roads this Easter weekend.”