27 April 2024,   13:17
more
45 dead after bus plunges off bridge in South Africa - 8-year-old child only survivor

Forty-five people died, and one 8-year-old girl survived after a bus crashed over a bridge in South Africa.

The mass casualty accident occurred on the Mma Matlakala Bridge between Marken and Mokopane in the northern province of Limpopo, South Africa about 200 miles north of Johannesburg.

The bus was transporting 45 passengers from Gaborone, Botswana, to a church in Moira, Limpopo Province, for Easter this coming weekend, per the South African Broadcasting Corporation. The vehicle was registered in the neighboring country. Currently, department officials are trying to confirm the victims’ citizenships.

According to reports, the driver lost control, and the bus fell onto a rocky surface some 50 meters under the bridge and caught fire. Once the rescue teams responded, they discovered some of the victims’ bodies “were burned beyond recognition”, while other bodies were “trapped inside the debris and others scattered on the scene”.

The sole survivor was “seriously injured” in the accident. She was then transported to a nearby hospital, where she is currently being treated.

MORE HEADLINES