45 people killed, 1 injured in bus accident in South Africa

At least 45 people were killed and one seriously injured in a bus crash near Mamatakarakara in the northern Limpopo province, South Africa’s Department of Transport said on Thursday.

The ministry said the driver lost control and collided with a guardrail on the bridge, causing the bus to go over the bridge, hit the ground and burst into flames, the statement said.

It added that the bus was transporting people from the landlocked southern African country of Botswana to the town of Moria in Limpopo province.

The Limpopo Transport Department said in a separate statement that rescue operations continued into late Thursday night, with some bodies burned beyond recognition and others trapped in the rubble and scattered at the scene.