Tragedy struck as dozens of worshippers lost their lives when a bus en route to an Easter conference veered off a cliff in South Africa’s Limpopo province on Thursday. The devastating crash claimed the lives of 45 individuals, with only one survivor reported to be in critical condition, according to the country’s transport department.
The lone survivor, an eight-year-old girl, was airlifted to a nearby hospital, as reported by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). The passengers were pilgrims journeying from Gaborone, Botswana’s capital, to attend a church event for Easter.
The accident occurred in the Mamatlakala mountain pass between Mokopane and Marken, with the bus igniting after the fall. Investigations into the cause of the crash are currently underway.
The province’s transport department stated that initial reports indicated the driver lost control, causing the bus to plunge onto a rocky surface below a bridge, approximately 50 meters down, where it caught fire.
Recovery efforts are in progress to retrieve the bodies of the victims. The local department reported that some bodies were severely burned, making identification difficult, while others remain trapped in the wreckage or scattered across the scene.
South African Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga expressed the government’s commitment to repatriate the deceased to Botswana, according to the broadcaster.
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