BENGALURU: South Africa’s Department of Transport on Thursday said a bus crash near Mamatlakala in the northern province of Limpopo resulted in at least 45 deaths and one seriously injured person.

The ministry alleged that the driver lost control and collided with barriers on the bridge, causing the bus to go over the bridge and hit the ground where it caught fire, according to the statement.

The passenger bus was transporting people from Botswana, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, to Moria, a town in Limpopo, it added.

Rescue operations continued until the late hours of Thursday evening, as some bodies were burned beyond recognition, others trapped inside the debris and scattered on the scene, Limpopo’s Department of Transport said in a separate statement.