South Africa: Girl, 8, only survivor as 45 killed in bus crash
Forty-five people have died in South Africa after the bus they were in plunged some 50m (165ft) off a bridge into a ravine, authorities say.
An eight-year-old girl, the only survivor, was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The bus crashed through a barrier and caught fire when it hit the ground in the north-eastern Limpopo province.
The passengers were pilgrims travelling from Botswana's capital Gaborone to an Easter service in the town of Moria.
The vehicle lost control and went off a bridge on the Mmamatlakala mountain pass between Mokopane and Marken, around 300km (190 miles) north of Johannesburg, according to South African public broadcaster SABC.
Rescue operations went on late into Thursday evening, with some of those killed reportedly hard to reach amid the debris.
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".
She said the South African government would help repatriate the bodies and hold a full inquiry 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."
South Africa has a poor road safety record.
In an Easter message released earlier in the day, President Cyril Ramaphosa urged citizens to "do our best to make this a safe Easter".
It should "not be a time where we sit back and wait to see statistics on tragedy or injuries on our roads", he added.
Source: BBC
Trending News
Over 1 million Ghanaians expected to face food insecurity - WFP report 2024
09:26Mahama, Bawumia and Alan have flatly failed Ghanaians – Akpalu
12:05Persons involved in fight with GIS officers reprimanded – GPHA
08:02Africa must reimagine growth on its own terms – Bawumia
07:21PAC urges public institutions to comply with the Public Procurement Act
10:43PAC sitting: Nine Assemblies spent over GHC4m on workshops, fuel, honorarium
04:20My MP aspiration not conflicting with NIB MD job - Fokuo
07:12This year's BECE to be written for six days instead of five days: WAEC
09:18NHIA to implement 6-month dialysis support on June 1 – Aboagye Da-Costa reveals
21:302024 Elections: Bawumia takes "house to house" campaign to North East Region
06:12