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A bus carrying passengers fell from a bridge in South Africa, resulting in the deaths of at least 45 people.
The only survivor of the tragic incident near Mamatlakala in Waterberg municipality, Limpopo province, was an eight-year-old girl.
The bus driver allegedly lost control, crashing into the bridge barriers before the bus went over.
It dropped 165 feet and caught fire upon impact with the ground, according to the transport ministry.
The passengers were en route from Botswana’s capital Gaborone to an Easter service in the town of Moria, a journey of about seven hours by road.
Rescue operations continued until the late hours of Thursday evening, as some bodies were burned beyond recognition, others trapped inside the debris and scattered on the scene, Limpopo’s Department of Transport said in a separate statement.
The passenger bus was traveling from Botswana and reportedly had a Botswana license plate, but the nationalities of the victims are under investigation.
Except for the child, all passengers and the driver perished after the bus plunged into the valley.
Transport minister Sindisiwe Chikunga visited the crash site.
She stated that a thorough investigation would be conducted into the cause of the accident.
President Cyril Ramaphosa urged South Africans to be cautious on the roads during Easter.
He mentioned in a statement posted on X just hours before the crash: ‘Let’s do our best to make this a safe Easter. Easter does not have to be a time where we sit back and wait to see statistics on tragedy or injuries on our roads.’
The incident took place at the Mmamatlakala Bridge between Marken and Mokopane, approximately 190 miles north of Johannesburg.
The country’s roads continue to take lives.
According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation, 12,436 people died in road incidents in 2022, with 43% being pedestrians.
In February last year, 20 people were killed and another 68 injured after a tour bus fell off a bridge into a river in the South African town of Louis Trichardt.
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