Girl, 8, only survivor after South Africa bus crash kills 45

Firefighters at the scene of the bus crash on the R518 in the Waterberg district in the Limpopo province – Limpopo Transport Department

Forty-five people were killed in South Africa on Thursday when a bus plunged off a bridge and into a ravine, the transport ministry said.

An eight-year-old girl was seriously injured in the incident and has been airlifted to hospital. She is believed to be the only survivor among the dozens of passengers.

The bus is believed to have been carrying Christians from Botswana, who were heading to a church in the town of Moria for the Easter weekend when it drove off the Mmamatlakala bridge and burst into flames.

The group was travelling along the Kloof Pass, a mountainous stretch in the north of the country known for its tight, hairpin bends, state media reports.

Every Easter, worshippers from the Zion Christian Church, from South Africa and neighbouring countries, gather in Moria for day-and-night prayers and celebrations.

The transport ministry said it believed the driver was turning a corner when he lost control of the bus, which was towing a trailer reportedly loaded with paraffin and flammable materials. It landed in a ravine 40 metres below and burst into flames.

Authorities are investigating how the crash occurred and are attempting to retrieve bodies tangled up in the wreckage.

Emergency services on the R518 above the scene of the crash

Sindisiwe Chikunga, South Africa’s transport minister, visited the crash site and offered her “heartfelt condolences” to the families of the victims and Botswana’s government.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time,” she said. “With heightened alertness, we continue to urge responsible driving at all times as more people are on our roads this Easter weekend.”

Ms Chikunga pledged that an inquiry would be held into the incident, adding: “We will try everything to assist so that they go back to their country and families to be buried with dignity.”

Emergency services were expected to work over Thursday night to retrieve the remains of the victims, whose bodies are said to have been burned beyond recognition.

Ms Chikunga suggested DNA analysis might be necessary in order to identify the deceased.

Some are trapped within the debris of the bus, while others were scattered over the crash site. The rocky and treacherous nature of the ravine means authorities are struggling to retrieve the bodies and will likely have to airlift them.

Their identities have not been officially confirmed by authorities, but local media has reported they were pilgrims from Botswana.

The bus had a Botswana licence plate, local authorities said, but the nationalities of the passengers are unknown.

Driver reportedly lost control of vehicle

“It is alleged that the driver lost control, colliding with barriers on the bridge causing the bus to go over the bridge and hitting the ground, where it caught fire,” the transport ministry said in a statement.

Images released by the transport ministry show the bus lying on its side, shattered by the impact of the fall. Its windows and roof appear to have caved in, while the shell of the trailer it was towing is visible in the distance.

Its paint appears to have been stripped away by the blaze as firemen, standing a short distance away, hose it down.

Other images on social media, apparently taken from the bridge, show a fire raging from the crash site as black smoke billows into the sky.

The bridge remains closed and motorists have been told to use alternative routes.

While South Africa has one of the African continent’s most developed road networks, it also suffers from one of the worst safety records.

Just several hours before the crash, President Cyril Ramaphosa appealed to South Africans to take care when travelling during the Easter week.

“Let’s do our best to make this a safe Easter. Easter does not 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.

Sign up to the Front Page newsletter for free: Your essential guide to the day’s agenda from The Telegraph – direct to your inbox seven days a week.