An 8-year-old child was the sole survivor after a bus carrying 46 people plunged 165 feet from a bridge into a ravine and burst into flames near South Africa’s border with Botswana, according to a provincial department of transport.
The child, whose gender was not disclosed, was receiving medical attention at a nearby hospital, the Limpopo Province department of transport in South Africa said in a statement.
Forty-five people, including the driver, were killed.
The bus was traveling from Botswana to Moria, South Africa, for an Easter weekend church service when it careened off the Mma Matlakala Bridge after the driver “lost control and the bus fell onto a rock surface,” according to the statement.
“Rescue operations continued until the late hours of Thursday evening, as some bodies were burned beyond recognition, others trapped inside the debris and others scattered on the scene,” the department said.
The nationalities of the victims has not yet been determined.
On Wednesday, Sindisiwe Chikunga, South Africa’s minister of transport, launched an Easter road safety campaign, noting that traffic accidents often spike during the holiday.
“Easter is a time for celebration, but it is also a time when roads can be more dangerous due to increased traffic and holiday festivities,” the ministry warned.
