45 Killed After Bus Plunges Into Ravine In South Africa

A bus crash in South Africa’s northern province of Limpopo left 45 dead, the country’s transport department said on Thursday adding that an 8-year-old miraculously survived. The driver lost control and collided with barriers on a bridge near Mamatlakala, causing the bus to go over the bridge and hit the ground, catching fire.

The bus was taking Easter pilgrims from Botswana, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, to Moria, a town in Limpopo, according to a statement by the transport department. The bus fell from a major bridge linking two hillsides near Mmamatlakala in Limpopo, around 300 kilometers north of Johannesburg.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa sent his condolences to Botswana and pledged support to the country, his office said in a statement. “Only an 8-year-old survived the crash and was receiving medical attention at a nearby hospital,” Limpopo’s Department of Transport said in a separate statement.