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| Photo: Reuters |
A devastating accident unfolded in South Africa's Limpopo province on Thursday as a bus en route to an Easter conference met with a fatal crash, marking another sorrowful chapter in a series of recent road tragedies in the country.
According to reports by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), the crash resulted in the loss of 45 lives, with the only survivor being an eight-year-old girl, who was airlifted to a hospital with severe injuries.
The passengers on board were pilgrims making their way from Gaborone, the capital of neighboring Botswana, to the Zion Christian Church in Moria for the Easter gathering.
Tragedy struck in the Mamatlakala mountain pass between Mokopane and Marken, where the bus, after crashing through barriers and off a bridge, caught fire. Investigations are currently underway to determine the cause of this devastating crash.
A statement from the province's transport department revealed, "According to reports, the driver lost control and the bus fell onto a rocky surface, some 50 meters under the bridge and caught fire."
Efforts to retrieve the bodies of those lost in the accident are ongoing, with reports indicating that some bodies were burnt beyond recognition, while others remain trapped in debris or scattered across the crash site.
Florence Radzilani, a member of the province's Executive Council for Transport and Community Safety, described the scene as she arrived, stating that "the situation was very bad."
In response, authorities have arranged for a minibus to transport relatives to the accident site on Friday, before proceeding to the hospital to visit the sole survivor. Recovery efforts have continued through the night and into the following day.
South African Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga announced that the government will be repatriating the bodies to Botswana, offering her condolences to the affected families during this trying time.
Expressing his sympathies, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa conveyed condolences to the government of Botswana and the families and friends of those lost in the tragic bus crash.
