An 8-year-old is the only survivor and is being treated for serious injuries.
ADVERTISEMENTA bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people.
The only survivor of the crash was an 8-year-old girl, who is receiving medical attention for serious injuries according to authorities in the northern province of Limpopo.
The Limpopo provincial government said the bus veered off the Mmamatlakala bridge and plunged 50 metres into a ravine before bursting into flames.
Search operations were ongoing, the provincial government said, but many bodies were burned beyond recognition and still trapped inside the vehicle.
Authorities said they believe the bus was travelling from the neighbouring country of Botswana to the town of Moria, which hosts a popular Easter pilgrimage.
The South African government often warns motorists to be cautious during the Easter holidays, which is a particularly busy and dangerous time for road travel.
More than 200 people died in road crashes during the Easter weekend last year.
Just a day before the bus crash, the South African government called on people to be extra careful on Thursday and Friday because of the expected high volumes travelling by road to Moria.