MMAMATLAKALA, South Africa (NEWSnet/AP) — Forensic investigators in South Africa continued 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 Thursday afternoon's crash, which killed at least 45.

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 125 miles north 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 into a ravine.

Government officials said many bodies were burned beyond recognition and trapped inside the vehicle, while other victims had been thrown from the bus. The vehicle itself was almost crushed flat

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.

The South African government warns motorists to be cautious around Easter, which is a particularly busy time for road travel as millions of South Africans travel to family homes or make religious trips. Easter Friday and Easter Monday are both national holidays in that country.

Follow NEWSnet on Facebook and X platform to get our headlines in your social feeds.

Copyright 2024 NEWSnet and The Associated Press. All rights reserved.