45 people were killed in a terrible road accident in South Africa. The fatal incident occurred after a passenger bus fell from a bridge into a deep ditch. Only one girl child survived the horrific accident.

He was later taken to hospital with injuries. British media BBC reported this information in a report on Friday (March 29).

Forty-five people have died after a bus plunged from a bridge in South Africa into a ravine nearly 50 meters (165 feet) deep, authorities said. However, an eight-year-old girl child was the only one found alive in the incident and was later rescued and taken to hospital with serious injuries.

The bus crashed in northeastern Limpopo province after hitting a barrier and then burst into flames, the BBC says. The passengers were all pilgrims and were traveling from Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, to the town of Moria for an Easter service.

South Africa’s public broadcaster SABC said the car lost control and plunged off a bridge on the Mamamatlakala mountain pass between Mokopane and Markene, about 300 kilometers (190 miles) north of Johannesburg.

Rescue operations continued till Thursday evening and it is said that reaching some of the victims in the rubble has become difficult.

Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga visited the accident site and later expressed his “heartfelt condolences to the families affected by the tragic bus accident”. He said the South African government would assist in the recovery of the bodies and conduct a full investigation into the cause of the accident.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time,” he added. We ask that you always drive responsibly with extra caution as there are more people on our roads this Easter weekend.’

However, South Africa has a poor road safety record, the BBC reported.