EGN NEWS DESK
(CP) Political leaders all through Africa are providing prayers and condolences after almost 4 dozen Christians have been killed en path to an annual Easter gathering.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa mentioned in an announcement that 45 folks misplaced their lives when a bus transporting them from Botswana to the town of Moria within the South African Province of Limpopo crashed whereas “touring on the R518 highway close to Mokopane, Limpopo” Thursday.
The South Africa Department of Transport mentioned in a statement on X Thursday that the bus was transporting 46 folks, with all however one in every of them shedding their lives.
“It is alleged that the driving force misplaced management, colliding with boundaries on the bridge inflicting the bus to go over the bridge and hitting the bottom, the place it caught hearth,” the division famous. South Africa Minister of Transport, Sindisiwe Chikunga, expressed her “heartfelt condolences to the households affected by the tragic bus crash,” including, “Our ideas and prayers are with you throughout this tough time.”
A statement launched by the Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety elaborated on the impression of the crash, figuring out the lone survivor as an 8-year-old woman, noting that “some our bodies have been burned past recognition, others trapped contained in the particles and others scattered on the scene.” The bus fell 50 meters, equal to 164 toes, off a bridge earlier than catching on hearth.
The Easter weekend church service the passengers have been touring to is the “largest Christian gathering within the nation throughout Easter,” in accordance with the South African publication The Daily Vox. The occasion is held at Zion City Moria, which is the seat of the Africa-based Zion Christian Church. According to the information outlet, “Rough calculations estimate that between 3 million and 5 million pilgrims go to Moria for the Easter pilgrimage.”
The Botswana Democratic Party launched a statement on behalf of Mokgweetsi E.Okay. Maswisi, the president of Botswana and party chief, providing “deepest condolences to the [Zion Christian Church] members and their households affected by the heartbreaking bus accident.”
The South African Police Service INTERPOL National Central Bureau workplace confirmed Friday that each one the passengers on the bus have been residents of Botswana.
The police company additionally reported that as of Friday, our bodies belonging to 34 of the 46 passengers had been recovered, however solely 9 have been identifiable. The 8-year-old woman who survived the accident is receiving remedy for her accidents at a hospital.
Limpopo Premier Stan Mathabatha launched a statement vowing to “prioritize security and accountable driving practices to stop such devastating accidents from occurring sooner or later.” He maintained that “Limpopo’s scenic routes needs to be pathways of pleasure and connection, not websites of tragedy and loss.”
“My ideas and prayers are with the households and family members of the victims, each in Botswana and South Africa, as they navigate by way of this unimaginable loss and grief,” he added. “I lengthen my deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to all these affected by this tragedy. May they discover energy, consolation, and solace on this tough time.”
© The Christian Post
