Vehicle believed to have been carrying Christians from Botswana, who were heading to a church for the Easter weekend
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.
