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Burned bodies of Easter pilgrims still lie inside a bus that crashed off a bridge in South Africa

MMAMATLAKALA, South Africa (AP) — Emergency workers in South Africa were searching Friday for the bodies of victims after a bus carrying pilgrims to an Easter gathering plunged off a bridge and caught fire. An 8-year-old child was the only survivor of the crash that killed at least 45.

Hours after the Thursday afternoon crash, smoke seeped from the mangled, burned wreck underneath the concrete bridge. Authorities said it appeared that the driver lost control and the bus ploughed into the barriers along the side of the bridge and then over the edge. The driver was among the dead.

The crash happened in a mountainous region near the town of Mokopane, which is about 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of the South African capital, Pretoria.

The Limpopo provincial government said the bus, which was carrying pilgrims from Botswana, veered off the Mmamatlakala bridge and plunged 50 meters (164 feet) into a ravine.

It said many bodies were burned beyond recognition and trapped inside the vehicle, while other victims had been thrown from the bus.

“We were at the scene,” said local resident Simone Mayema, who said he was one of the first to arrive. “We tried to help (but) there was nothing we could do because there was flames.”

Forensic investigators worked through the wreckage early Friday, but while some bodies had been recovered, others were believed to be still inside what was left of the bus, which was almost crushed flat.

There was no new information on the status of the child who somehow survived the horrific crash. Officials at the hospital where the child was taken declined to give an update. Government officials were expected to hold a press conference later Friday.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the victims appeared to be all from Botswana and had been on their way to the town of Moria in Limpopo for a popular Easter weekend pilgrimage that attracts hundreds of thousands of worshippers from South Africa and neighboring countries who follow the Zion Christian Church.

Ramaphosa had phoned Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi to offer his condolences and said the South African government would do all it can to help, according to a statement from Ramaphosa’s office.

Provincial authorities said the bus had a Botswana license plate.

South African Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga was in Limpopo province for a road safety campaign and changed her plans in order to visit the crash scene on Thursday after hearing the “devastating news,” the national Department of Transport said. Chikunga said there was an investigation underway into the cause of the crash and offered her condolences to the families of the victims.

The South African government often warns motorists to be cautious during the Easter holidays, which is a particularly busy and dangerous time for road travel as millions of South Africans travel from cities back to their rural family homes or make religious trips.

Foreigners also make long road journeys back to their neighboring home countries as Easter Friday and Easter Monday are both national holidays, giving people four days off.

More than 200 people died in road crashes during the Easter weekend last year. Just a day before this crash, the South African government called on people to be extra careful on Thursday and Friday because of the expected high volumes traveling by road, including around Moria.

The Zion Christian Church has its headquarters in Moria and this year is the first time its Easter pilgrimage has been set to go ahead since the COVID-19 pandemic. The pilgrimage is renowned as the church’s faithful pour into the small town from across the southern African region.

The worshippers gather near where a giant star — the church’s emblem — and the words “Zion City Moria” are painted in white on a hillside.

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Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa.

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

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8-year-old is the only survivor after bus plunges off cliff in South Africa, killing 45 people

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.

The only survivor of the crash was an 8-year-old child, who was receiving medical attention, according to authorities in the northern province of Limpopo.

The Limpopo provincial government said the bus veered off the Mmamatlakala bridge and plunged 164 feet into a ravine before busting into flames.

Search operations were ongoing, the provincial government said, but many bodies were burned beyond recognition and still trapped inside the vehicle.

Authorities said they believe the bus was traveling from the neighboring country of Botswana to the town of Moria, which hosts a popular Easter pilgrimage.

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Bus in South Africa plunges off bridge and catches fire, killing 45 people

A bus in South Africa plunged off a bridge and fell more than 150 feet Thursday, killing 45 people, officials said. Only one passenger, an 8-year-old girl, survived the crash.

The bus was traveling from Botswana to an annual Easter festival at a church in Moria, in South Africa’s northern province of Limpopo.

The driver of the bus reportedly lost control while driving over the bridge, colliding with barriers before falling about 50 meters onto a rocky surface, Limpopo’s Department of Transport and Community Safety said.

Rescue workers at the scene of the bus crash Mamatlakala, South Africa, on March 28, 2024.

Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety

Rescue operations continued late Thursday. Some bodies were burned beyond recognition, while others were trapped inside the vehicle’s debris, the department said.

A department spokesperson told CBS News that the 8-year-old survivor is a girl. She was being treated at a nearby hospital, though the department did not provide further details about her condition.

Rescue workers told local media that the bus was pulling a trailer, adding additional weight to the vehicle as it crossed the bridge.

“I am sending my heartfelt condolences to the families affected by the tragic bus crash near Mamatlakala,” Sindisiwe Chikunga, South Africa’s Minister of Transport, said at the crash scene. “We continue to urge responsible driving at all times with heightened alertness as more people are on our roads this Easter weekend.”

—Sarah Carter contributed reporting.

S. Dev

S. Dev is a news editor for CBSNews.com.

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A bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. 8-year-old child is only survivor

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.

The only survivor of the crash was an 8-year-old child, who was receiving medical attention, according to authorities in the northern province of Limpopo.

The Limpopo provincial government said the bus veered off the Mmamatlakala bridge and plunged 50 meters (164 feet) into a ravine before busting into flames.

Search operations were ongoing, the provincial government said, but many bodies were burned beyond recognition and still trapped inside the vehicle.

Authorities said they believe the bus was traveling from the neighboring country of Botswana to the town of Moria, which hosts a popular Easter pilgrimage.

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

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Seoul Bus Drivers End Strike After Reaching Wage Deal

(Bloomberg) — Bus drivers in South Korea’s capital ended their first strike in more than a decade, which knocked out service during the Thursday morning commute, after reaching a wage agreement with management.

Girl, 8, only survivor as 45 killed in bus crash

Forty-five people have died in South Africa after the bus they were in plunged some 50m (165ft) off a bridge into a ravine, authorities say.

An eight-year-old girl, the only survivor, was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

The bus crashed through a barrier and caught fire when it hit the ground in the north-eastern Limpopo province.

The passengers were pilgrims travelling from Botswana’s capital Gaborone to an Easter service in the town of Moria.

The vehicle lost control and went off a bridge on the Mmamatlakala mountain pass between Mokopane and Marken, around 300km (190 miles) north of Johannesburg, according to South African public broadcaster SABC.

Rescue operations went on late into Thursday evening, with some of those killed reportedly hard to reach amid the debris.

Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga, who went to the scene of the incident, extended her “heartfelt condolences to the families affected by the tragic bus crash”.

She said the South African government would help repatriate the bodies and hold a full inquiry into the cause of the crash.

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

South Africa has a poor road safety record.

In an Easter message released earlier in the day, President Cyril Ramaphosa urged citizens to “do our best to make this a safe Easter”.

It should “not be a time where we sit back and wait to see statistics on tragedy or injuries on our roads”, he added.

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A bus has come off a highway in eastern Germany, killing at least 5 people

BERLIN (AP) — At least five people were killed Wednesday when a bus headed from Berlin to Switzerland came off a highway in eastern Germany and ended up on its side, authorities said.

The accident happened on the A9 highway near Leipzig at about 9:45 a.m. and the road was closed in both directions.

It wasn’t immediately clear why the bus, which was operated by Flixbus and en route from Berlin to Zurich, came off the road. Rescue helicopters and ambulances were at the scene.

Police spokesman Olaf Hoppe told n-tv television that there were “numerous injured and at least five dead.”

Flixbus said there were 53 passengers and two drivers on board, German news agency dpa reported. The company said it was working closely with local authorities and rescue services and would do everything to clear up the cause of the accident quickly.

The A9 is a major north-south route that links Berlin with Munich. The scene of the accident was just north of a highway interchange at Schkeuditz, next to the Leipzig/Halle airport.

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Bus and vehicle collide on Pennsylvania interstate; at least 3 dead

At least three people were killed and others injured after a bus carrying as many as 50 people and a passenger vehicle crashed on a Pennsylvania freeway late Sunday night, authorities said.

The collision unfolded just before 11:50 p.m. ET on Sunday on the southbound lanes of Interstate 81 in Lower Paxton Township in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania State Police said in a news release.

Multiple people dead after bus carrying dozens and vehicle collide on Pennsylvania freeway — The overturned bus on I-81 southbound in Dauphin County, Pa., on Monday.Trooper Megan Frazer / Pennsylvania State Police

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, but police said the bus, which was carrying around 45 to 50 people, was left flipped on its side following the collision.

At least three people were pronounced dead at the scene, state police said.

Some were also taken to a hospital for injuries ranging from “minor to critical” police said. They said they could not yet provide a number for how many people had been injured.

The freeway was shut down southbound between exits 77 and 72. It was not clear when it would be reopened.

The Chambers Hill Fire Department was designated as a location for passengers and loved ones to reunite.

Police said more information would be provided as it becomes available.

Chantal Da Silva

Lindsey Pipia contributed.

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“Multiple passengers” dead in bus crash on Pennsylvania interstate, authorities say

“Multiple passengers” were killed in a collision late Sunday night between a charter bus and passenger vehicle on Interstate 81 in Dauphin County in southeast Pennsylvania, state police said.

The bus, carrying 45-50 passengers, flipped on its side and came to rest on the right berm, police said, adding that multiple people were taken to Hershey Medical Center suffering from various injuries.

The Chambers Hill Fire Department was opening up as a reunification center for passengers. The Red Cross was to be there as well.

Dauphin County is home to the state capital, Harrisburg, and Hershey Park.

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11 hurt when school bus carrying YMCA campers crashes in Idaho

A school bus carrying teenage campers rolled over on a winding Idaho highway Friday afternoon, injuring 11 people, the Idaho State Police said.

Seven of those hurt had critical injuries and four had non-critical injuries, according to an ISP news release. The Boise County Coroner’s office had not received any reports of fatalities as of 5:45 p.m., coroner’s investigator Noah Webster said.

The bus was carrying about 30 campers and staff back to Boise from the Treasure Valley YMCA’s camp at Horsethief Reservoir. All of the teens on the bus were between 13 and 18 years old, according to ISP. They were all taken to area hospitals to be checked out, the ISP said.

The Valley County Sheriff’s Office said they were notified of the crash about 3 p.m., and several law enforcement and emergency medical agencies responded.

St. Luke’s Health System was caring for multiple patients at its Boise and Meridian hospitals and was “working to reunite families,” said spokesperson Taylor Reeves Marschner.

Treasure Valley YMCA President and CEO David Duro said later Friday that it had been a very challenging afternoon but that all the campers, both on the bus that crashed and on a bus that was behind it, had made it back to the Boise area. The Sunday to Friday overnight camp session had just ended and he said riding the bus is normally a great part of the experience for campers.

“It’s one of those experiences that every child should be able to enjoy safely and I don’t know what happened,” he said. “All we’ve been told is that it’s under investigation.”

The YMCA camp where children can engage in canoeing, archery, zip-lining and other outdoor activities opened in 2010 and is about 35 miles north of the crash site. The popular camp runs multiple sessions throughout the summer for kids between 2nd and 11th grades, and the YMCA frequently runs several buses full of kids to and from each session.

Another session is set to begin on Sunday. Duro said officials are now determining whether to hold it as scheduled. He said families always have the option of driving their children to camp instead of taking the bus.

“It’s the first time we’ve ever had something like this and we hope it’s the last time,” he said about the crash, adding that they’ll be awaiting any reports to review and see what can be done to make the journey safer.

The YMCA contracts with Caldwell Transportation to take kids on school buses to and from the camp, he said, adding that the company also transports many students to area schools throughout the school year. No one answered the phone at the company’s Boise location on Friday evening.

The crash blocked both lanes of Highway 55 for hours. The two-lane road is one of the state’s two major north-south routes, and it is frequently packed with weekend travelers headed from the Boise region to the vacation destination of McCall and popular area campsites.

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