Achi news desk-
Johannesburg, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 29th March, 2024) A bus plunged off a bridge into a ravine and caught fire on Thursday in South Africa, killing 45 of the 46 people on board, the ministry of transport.
An eight-year-old child was the only survivor and he had been taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The vehicle had been going from neighboring Botswana to Moria in the north of the country, the ministry said in a statement
“It is alleged that the driver lost control, colliding with barriers on the bridge causing the bus to go over the bridge and hit the ground, where it caught fire,” the statement said.
Rescue operations had continued until late with some bodies burnt beyond recognition, and others trapped inside the debris or scattered over the scene of the accident.
The bus had a Botswana license plate, local authorities said, but the nationalities of the passengers were still being verified.
Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga went to the scene of the accident and promised that a full investigation would be carried out into his case.
Although South Africa has one of the most developed road networks on the African continent, it also suffers from one of the worst safety records.
A few hours before the accident, President Cyril Ramaphosa appealed to South Africans to take care when traveling during Easter week.
“Let’s do our best to make this a safe Easter. Easter doesn’t have to be a time where we sit back and wait to see statistics on tragedy or injuries on our roads,” he said in a statement .
The bus fell from a large bridge connecting two hillsides near Mmamatlakala in Limpopo province, about 300 kilometers (190 miles) north of Johannesburg.
