A bus carrying worshippers plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass killing at least 45 people with only one surviving, authorities in South Africa said Thursday (Mar. 28).
According to the Limpopo provincial government, the bus veered off the Mmamatlakala bridge and plunged 50 meters into a ravine before busting into flames.
Authorities said they believe the bus was traveling from the neighbouring Botswana to the town of Moria, which hosts a popular Easter pilgrimage. They said it appeared that the driver lost control and was one of the dead.
An investigation into the cause of the crash is underway, Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga announced when she visited the crash scene.
She was in Limpopo province for a road safety campaign and changed plans to visit the crash scene, the national Department of Transport said
The president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has conveyed his condolences to the government of Botswana and the families and friends of the deceased.
The sole survivor of the crash was an 8-year-old child, who was receiving medical attention, according to authorities in the northern province of Limpopo. They said the child was seriously injured.
The South African government often warns of the danger of road accidents during the Easter holidays. More than 200 people died in road crashes during the Easter weekend last year.
The Zionist Christian Church has its headquarters in Moria and its Easter pilgrimage attracts hundreds of thousands of people.
