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South Africa: An official said that 45 people have died after a passenger bus plunged off a bridge into a ravine in South Africa. A total of 46 people including the driver were on board the bus. After receiving information about this incident local police reached on the spot.
In a statement, The Transport Ministry said that the driver lost control near Mamatlakala in the northeastern province of Limpopo and collided with barriers on a bridge, causing the bus to overturn and catch fire. One person was also seriously injured in the crash of the vehicle heading from Botswana to Moria in the north of the country, the ministry said in a statement.
The passengers were pilgrims travelling from Botswana’s capital Gaborone to an Easter service in the town of Moria. Limpopo’s transport department said in a separate statement that rescue operations continued until late Thursday night as some bodies were burnt beyond recognition, others were trapped inside the wreckage and scattered at the scene.
Sindisiwe Chikunga, Transport Minister, who visited the scene after the incident, expressed “her heartfelt condolences to the families affected by the tragic bus accident”.
She said the South African government would help to retrieve the bodies and conduct a full investigation into the causes of the accident. She also said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time.” She added,”We urge you to drive responsibly with extreme caution at all times as there will be more people on our roads this Easter weekend.”
