Bus Takes Massive Plunge, Killing Dozens

(RepublicanView.org) – An 8-year-old girl was the only survivor when a bus crashed off a bridge in South Africa over the Easter weekend. The accident happened when the vehicle veered off a bridge while turning a sharp bend, crashed into the rocks below, and exploded. Forty-five people died.

The dead were en route to an Easter festival in the far northeastern province of Limpopo, on the Botswana border. South African officials confirmed that the bus had a Botswana license plate and said they would work with authorities there to identify the victims and determine their nationality.

Investigations are ongoing, but initial findings suggest the driver lost control of the vehicle, causing it to plunge around 50 feet. The sole survivor, a young girl, was reportedly ejected from the bus before its fall. Paramedics rushed her to a local hospital, where she was described as in a stable condition, as of the most recent reports.

According to BBC News, South African Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga said the government’s thoughts and prayers were with the victims’ families and urged travelers to operate cautiously. President Cyril Ramphosa noted South Africa’s high number of road fatalities and the increased traffic around the Easter holiday. More than 250 people were killed on South Africa’s roads on Easter and the days surrounding it in 2023, according to AP News.

The Automobile Association of South Africa has described the country’s safety record as a national crisis. Last year, a report from the Road Traffic Management Corporation issued figures for 2022, revealing that 12,436 people died in road accidents, of which 43% were pedestrians. The Automobile Association called for more government action, noting that funding was frequently sparse.

Limpopo is situated in the far northeast corner of South Africa, on the border with Botswana. Its President, Mokgweetsi Masisi, issued a statement offering his condolences to the victims’ families. Botswana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Dr Sanji Mmasenono Monageng, has visited the 8-year-old survivor.