An eight-year-old girl survived and was airlifted to hospital for medical treatment.
A bus fell off a bridge into a valley in South Africa, killing 45 of the 46 passengers on board, according to the Department of Transport.
The only survivor, an eight-year-old girl, was airlifted to hospital but was not seriously injured, according to a Ministry of Transport media official.
Police said they were investigating a case of culpable homicide, in which the driver was among those killed after he lost control and crashed into barriers on a bridge in a mountainous area near Mamatlakala, 300 kilometers (190 miles) north of Johannesburg.
The bus fell 50 meters (164 feet) into a ravine before catching fire.
The bus was on its way from neighboring Botswana to Moria, a town in the northern Limpopo province where the famous Easter festival is held. Easter falls on March 31 this year.
South African police confirmed that 15 men and 31 women on board were citizens of Botswana.
Transport Minister Sindisio Chikunga traveled to the scene and promised a full investigation.
“We really want to express our heartfelt condolences to their families as well as to the government of Botswana and the people of Botswana, and as South Africans, we will do everything we can to help so that they can return to their country and their families to be buried. “With dignity,” she was quoted as saying by the national broadcaster SABC.
Family members “are coming to the country to visit the surviving girl,” Transport Ministry media officer Phungani Chauk told AFP.
He added: “She is fine and receiving medical care and does not suffer from serious injuries.”
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's office said in a statement that his boss sent his condolences to Botswana and promised support.
Searches were continuing at the site, but many bodies were burned beyond recognition and were still trapped inside the car.
While South Africa has one of the most advanced road networks on the African continent, it also has one of the worst safety records.
A few hours before the accident, Ramaphosa appealed to South Africans to be careful when traveling during the Easter holidays.
“Let us do everything we can to make Easter safe. Easter does not have to be a time when we sit and wait to see statistics about tragedy or injuries on our roads,” he said in a statement.
Estonia's president, Alar Kares, took to X to offer his “heartfelt condolences” to Masisi, adding that he was “deeply saddened by the news.”
The Turkish Embassy in Gaborone said on the X website that its “thoughts are with the families affected by this tragedy.”
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