Forty-five Christians were killed in South Africa on Thursday March 28 when the bus they were traveling in from Botswana to the city of Moria in the South African province of Limpopo crashed,” Christian Post has reported.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, who confirmed this, said the bus crashed while traveling on the R518 road near Mokopane, Limpopo for an Easter gathering.
The service is the largest Christian gathering in South Africa during Easter. It is held at Zion City, Moria, which is the seat of the African-based Zion Christian Church.
South African publication, The Daly Vox said, “Rough calculations estimate that between three million and five million pilgrims visit Moria for the Easter pilgrimage.”
According to a statement on X by the South African Department of Transport, only one person, an eight years old girl, survived out of the 46 persons it was conveying. They were all citizens of Botswana.
“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 department said.
South African Minister of Transport, Sindisiwe Chikunga, expressed “heartfelt condolences to the families affected by the tragic bus crash,” adding, “Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.”
Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety, in a statement, said the lone survivor in the accident was an eight years old girl.
It also said “some bodies were burned beyond recognition, others trapped inside the debris and others scattered on the scene.”
It further stated that the bus fell 50 meters, equivalent to 164 feet, off a bridge before catching on fire.
Meanwhile, on behalf of President Mokgweetsi Maswisi of Botswana, the Botswana Democratic Party, has in a statement, offered “deepest condolences to the (Zion Christian Church) members and their families by the heart-breaking bus accident.”
The South African Police Service, INTERPOL National Central Bureau office says as of Friday, the bodies of 34 out of the 45 passengers had been recovered though only nine of them were identifiable. It said the eight years old girl who survived the accident was receiving treatment at a hospital.