Topline
More than three dozen people were killed when a bus in South Africa crashed off a cliff Thursday, local officials confirmed, killing Easter worshippers on board.
Key Facts
South African Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga confirmed 45 people died in the crash in Limpopo, a region in northeast South Africa, the South African Broadcasting Corporation reported.
The passengers onboard the bus, which lost control as it fell off a bridge in South Africa’s Mmamatlakala mountains, were traveling for an Easter conference held by the Zion Christian Church.
Only one of the passengers, an eight-year-old girl, survived the crash, and was airlifted to a local hospital with severe injuries.
South Africa’s Department of Transport and Community Safety in Limpopo also confirmed the crash, releasing a statement saying 45 people were killed while traveling to the town of Moria for an Easter church service.
Key Background
According to a Department of Transport and Community report, the bus driver lost control of the vehicle while passing through the mountainous region, where the bus “fell onto a rocky surface, some 50 meters under the bridge and caught fire.” Rescue operations took effect, though some passengers had been “burned beyond recognition” in the subsequent fire, with some “trapped inside the debris and others scattered on the scene.”
