At least 45 dead in South Africa bus crash

The passenger bus was transporting people from Botswana.
The passenger bus was transporting people from Botswana. Photo credit: Limpopo Department of Transport & Community Safety

A bus crash near South Africa's Mamatlakala in the northern province of Limpopo has resulted in at least 45 deaths and one seriously injured person, the country's Department of Transport says. 

The ministry alleged the driver lost control and collided with barriers on the bridge, causing the bus to go over the bridge and hit the ground where it caught fire, according to a statement. The passenger bus was transporting people from Botswana, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, to Moria, a town in Limpopo, the statement added. 

Rescue operations continued until the late hours of Thursday evening, as some bodies were burned beyond recognition, others trapped inside the debris and scattered on the scene, Limpopo's Department of Transport said in a separate statement.