Church bus tragedy in South Africa kills dozens, leaves one child survivor, points attention to deadly roads

LUSAKA, Zambia — Several days after a horrific bus crash that killed dozens and left only one 8-year-old survivor, officials in South Africa are saying it will be a long time before victims’ relatives can find closure. Responders have identified the bodies of only nine of the 45 people presumed dead after the March 27 crash, said Poppy Ramatipa, the health official from Limpopo Province, South Africa, tasked to oversee the response. The response team is picking through body parts and charred remains that will need to undergo DNA analysis for firm identification.  The wreckage of a bus lays in a ravine a day after it plunged off a bridge on the Mmamatlakala mountain pass between Mokopane and Marken, around 300km (190 miles) north of Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday, March 29, 2024. The bus carrying worshippers on a long-distance trip from Botswana to an Easter weekend church gathering in South Africa plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass Thursday and burst into flames as it hit the rocky ground below, killing at least 45 people, authorities said. The only survivor was an 8-year-old child who was receiving medical attention for serious injuries. Photo credit: Themba Hadebe, The Associated Press...