By Amy Cassidy | CNN
Dozens of worshippers died after a bus headed to an Easter conference plunged off a cliff in South Africa’s Limpopo province on Thursday.
The crash claimed the lives of 45 people and one is seriously injured, the country’s transport department said in a statement.
The sole survivor is an eight-year-old girl who has been airlifted to hospital, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) reported.
According to the SABC, the passengers were pilgrims traveling from Gaborone – the capital city of neighboring country Botswana – to a church for an Easter conference.
The crash happened in the Mamatlakala mountain pass between Mokopane and Marken. The bus reportedly caught fire after falling.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
In a statement, the province’s transport department said that “according to reports, the driver lost control and the bus fell onto a rocky surface, some 50 meters under the bridge and caught fire.”
Efforts are ongoing to recover the bodies of the passengers who were killed, according to the statement.
“Some bodies burned beyond recognition,” the local department said. Others are “trapped inside the debris and others [are] scattered on the scene,” it added.
South African Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said the government would repatriate the bodies to Botswana, the broadcaster said.
“I am sending my heartfelt condolences to the families affected by the tragic bus crash near Mamatlakala. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. We continue to urge responsible driving at all times with heightened alertness as more people are on our roads this Easter weekend,” Chikunga said in a statement.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)
Related Posts:
- UK weather: Brits face weekend washout with MORE heavy rain as Met Office warns of ‘thundery downpours’ amid -6C plunge News BRITS face a weekend washout as multiple bands of heavy rain are set to lash the country. The mercury plunged to a bitterly cold -6.3C in the Lake District village of Shap last night as Jack Frost paid Cumbrians a visit. Brits face a weekend washout as multiple bands of…
- US-required bridge inspections don’t test for ship strike. Then, one hit the Key Bridge. News When the Francis Scott Key Bridge was inspected in May 2021, it earned high marks. Its railings and guardrails met modern standards. Its foundations were “stable” and didn’t show signs of erosion at the riverbed. The protection around its piers was “functioning,” the best grade in that category. It wasn’t,…
- US-required bridge inspections don’t test for ship strike. Then, one hit the Key Bridge. News When the Francis Scott Key Bridge was inspected in May 2021, it earned high marks. Its railings and guardrails met modern standards. Its foundations were “stable” and didn’t show signs of erosion at the riverbed. The protection around its piers was “functioning,” the best grade in that category. It wasn’t,…
- US-required bridge inspections don’t test for ship strike. Then, one hit the Key Bridge. News When the Francis Scott Key Bridge was inspected in May 2021, it earned high marks. Its railings and guardrails met modern standards. Its foundations were “stable” and didn’t show signs of erosion at the riverbed. The protection around its piers was “functioning,” the best grade in that category. It wasn’t,…
- Hawthorne man charged with attempted murder in attack on Metro bus driver in Willowbrook News A Hawthorne man has been charged with attempted murder for stabbing a Metro bus driver in Wilmington earlier this month, authorities said. Darnell Marshon Bray, 30, is expected to make his first court appearance Monday, April 29, when he may enter a plea to one count of attempted murder with…