The vehicle had left Botswana and was headed to a religious site in South Africa for the Easter weekend. The terrible flight into the void for about 50 meters and the subsequent flames that engulfed the vehicle left no escape for the bus passengers: the only survivor was an 8-year-old girl.
Tragedy in South Africa where 45 people died in a dramatic road accident in which the bus they were traveling on flew off a bridge catching fire after the crash. The drama today in the South African province of Limpopo. The terrible flight into the void for about 50 meters and the subsequent flames that engulfed the vehicle left no escape for the bus passengers: the only survivor is an 8-year-old girl who is now hospitalized in very serious conditions.
According to what was reconstructed by the local authorities, the bus was full of faithful who were traveling from Gaborone, the capital of the neighboring country of Botswana, to a South African church for an Easter religious event. The accident occurred in the Mamatlakala mountain pass between Mokopane and Marken. For unclear reasons, the driver of the vehicle lost control of the bus which crashed into the barriers on the bridge, uprooting them and going over them and ending up in the ravine.
Just hit the ground the vehicle caught fire, trapping everyone inside. Rescue operations continued until Thursday evening. According to South African authorities, some bodies were burned and were unrecognizable, other travelers were trapped in the debris and others flew out of the vehicle.
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South Africa’s transport minister, Sindisiwe Chikunga, said the government would repatriate the bodies to Botswana. “I send my deepest condolences to the families affected by the tragic bus accident near Mamatlakala. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time. We continue to always urge responsible driving with greater caution as more and more people are on our roads this Easter weekend,” Chikunga said in a statement. The minister also reassured the public that an investigation is underway to determine the exact reason for the accident.
