Authorities in South Africa said a bus carrying worshippers heading to Easter fell off a bridge on a mountain pass and caught fire in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people.

The sole survivor of the accident was an 8-year-old child, who was receiving medical care, according to authorities in the northern Limpopo province, which confirmed that the child was seriously injured.

The Limpopo provincial government said the bus veered off the Mamamatlakala bridge and fell 50 meters into a valley before catching fire.

The regional government confirmed that search operations are ongoing, but many bodies were burned to the point of being difficult to identify and are still trapped inside the vehicle.

Authorities said they believe the bus was traveling from the neighboring country of Botswana to the town of Moria, which hosts popular Easter celebrations. They added that it appears the driver lost control and was among the dead.

The national Ministry of Transport pointed out that Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga was in Limpopo province to carry out a road safety campaign and changed her plans to visit the accident site. It said an investigation is underway to determine the causes of the accident and offered condolences to the victims' families.

The South African government often warns of the danger of road accidents during the Easter holiday, a particularly busy and dangerous time for road travel. More than 200 people died in road accidents during last year's Easter holiday.

The headquarters of the Zion Christian Church is located in Moria, and the Easter pilgrimage attracts hundreds of thousands of people from all over South Africa and neighboring countries. This year is the first time the Easter pilgrimage to Moria has proceeded since the COVID-19 pandemic.