45 dead in a bus accident in South Africa – an 8-year-old girl, the only survivor

More than 40 people died after a bus skidded off a bridge on a mountain pass in South Africa and plunged about 50 meters over rocks.

According to SkyNews, the bus, registered in Botswana, had a total of 46 people on board, including the driver. Only one child, an eight-year-old girl, survived the accident and is being treated at the hospital.

In a statement, the Ministry of Transport specified that the driver lost control of the vehicle while going through a curve. The bus caught fire after the accident occurred near Mamatlakala, in Limpopo province, in the northeast of the country.

The passenger bus was carrying people from Botswana who were apparently heading to Moria in Limpopo to take part in a popular Easter pilgrimage.

The rescue operations continued until the late hours of Thursday evening. Some bodies were charred and others were trapped under the wreckage of the bus.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa sent his condolences to Botswana and promised support for this country, his office said in a statement.

Sky’s correspondent for Africa, Yousra Elbagir, said that such accidents are not unusual during Easter in South Africa – last year, 252 people were killed in similar accidents in this country.