South Africa Bus Accident: 45 Killed, One Child Survives After Vehicle Plunges Off Bridge in Limpopo

Forty-five people tragically lost their lives after the vehicle crashed over a bridge, as reported by the Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety. Miraculously, amidst the tragedy, an 8-year-old girl emerged as the sole survivor.

A bus, transporting 46 individuals on their journey to an Easter weekend pilgrimage, plunged 165 feet from a bridge into a ravine, subsequently igniting into flames. 

The mass casualty accident took place on Thursday at the Mma Matlakala Bridge, situated between Marken and Mokopane in the northern province of Limpopo, South Africa. This location is approximately 200 miles north of Johannesburg.

According to the South African Broadcasting Corporation, the bus was carrying 45 passengers from Gaborone, Botswana, destined for a church in Moira, Limpopo Province, for Easter celebrations scheduled for the upcoming weekend. The vehicle, registered in the neighboring country, was involved in the tragic incident. At present, department officials are working to ascertain the citizenships of the victims.

According to reports, the driver lost control, and the bus fell onto a rocky surface some 50 meters [164 feet] under the bridge and caught fire, read the Facebook announcement. 

The sole survivor was seriously injured in the accident, the Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety wrote in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). She was then transported to a nearby hospital, where she is currently being treated, per the Facebook announcement.