Horror bus crash leaves 45 dead and child, eight, as the sole survivor after South African coach drove off a bridge in before bursting into flames

A bus crash in South Africa has left 45 dead and only one survivor, an eight-year-old child, who is being treated in hospital, according to reports.

South Africa's Department of Transport 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.