CNN
—
Dozens of worshipers were killed on Thursday when a bus heading to an Easter conference crashed in South Africa's Limpopo province. This is the latest tragedy in the country, where there have been a number of recent traffic accidents resulting in multiple casualties.
The accident claimed the lives of 45 people, and the only survivor, an eight-year-old girl, was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) reported.
The passengers were pilgrims traveling from neighboring Botswana's capital Gaborone to Zion Christian Church in the town of Moria for the Easter conference, the SABC said.
The accident occurred on the Mamatlakara Pass between Mokopane and Markeng. The bus reportedly crashed through a fence and fell off a bridge before the fire broke out. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
“According to reports, the driver lost control and the bus fell onto a rocky area about 50 meters below the bridge, causing a fire,” the state transportation department said in a statement.
The statement said work continues to recover the bodies of the deceased passengers.
“Some bodies were burnt beyond recognition,” local authorities said. Others are “trapped in the rubble” [are] They were scattered at the scene,” he added.
Florence Rajrani, a member of the state's Transportation and Community Safety Enforcement Council, said authorities have so far recovered only 12 bodies from the crash site.
Rajrani Said Local news channel Newsroom Africa reported that when she arrived at the scene on Thursday, “the situation was very bad.”
Rajrani said authorities on Friday arranged for a minibus to take some relatives to the scene of the accident and then to the hospital to check on the sole survivor. Authorities worked until early morning to recover the body, which has now been recovered. He added that he had returned to the scene. Friday's situation.
South African Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said the government would repatriate the bodies to Botswana, state television said.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to the families affected by the tragic bus accident near Mamatlakala. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this difficult time. As people use our roads, we continue to urge everyone to remain vigilant and drive responsibly,” Chikunga said in a statement.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also expressed his condolences to the Botswana government and the families and friends of the bus crash victims.
This story has been updated with further developments.