A bus carrying worshipers heading to an Easter festival plunged from a bridge at a mountain pass and burst into flames as a result. The incident occurred this Thursday afternoon in the town of Waterberg, in South Africa, where 45 people died, according to local authorities reported by AP. The only survivor of the accident was an 8-year-old boy, who was receiving medical attention from emergency teams at the same location, according to the Limpopo Provincial Rescue Corps.
The provincial government argued to the local press that the bus left the Mmamatlakala bridge and fell about 50 meters down a ravine before bursting into flames. Rescue operations were underway late into the night, as bodies were found burned beyond recognition and others remained trapped inside the vehicle.
According to local authorities, the bus was traveling from the neighboring country of Botswana to the city of Moria, which hosts a popular Easter pilgrimage. The same sources said that according to the first investigations they believe that the driver - who died in the accident - lost control.
As it happens, Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga was in Limpopo for a road safety campaign and changed his plans to visit the accident site, the national Department of Transport said. Chikunga said he was conducting an investigation into the cause of the accident and offered his deepest condolences to the families of the victims.
From the scene of the accident, the minister recalled the danger of traffic accidents during the Easter holidays, "which is an especially busy and dangerous time for road travel." In this sense, the Government reported in a press release that more than 200 people died in traffic accidents during the Easter weekend last year.
Easter in Moria attracts hundreds of thousands of people from all over South Africa and neighboring countries. This year is the first time the pilgrimage has taken place since the Covid-19 pandemic.
