45 die in bus crash in South Africa; 8-year-old sole survivor
Johannesburg, Mar 29: Only nine of the 34 bodies which had been recovered were identifiable on Friday from the horrific crash that saw 45 Easter pilgrims from Botswana dead in a bus crash in South Africa's northern province of Limpopo.
An eight-year-old child is the sole survivor of the Thursday's accident when the bus drove off the railing of a bridge and burst into flames in a mountainous region near Mokopane town, about 270 km northeast from here.
The deceased were all from the neighbouring Botswana and were on their way to an annual Easter gathering of the Zionist Christian Church (ZCC) headquarters at Moria in Limpopo province, where over two million congregants from the southern African region assemble each year at this time.
The driver apparently lost control of the bus, which led to it plunging off the bridge into a ravine more than 150 feet deep and immediately bursting into flames. He was among the dead.
"According to the passenger bus list from the owner, who is also a Botswana citizen, there were 31 females and 15 males on board the 45-seater taxi. All passengers were from a village called Molepolole, near Gaborone," police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe told the media.
She said that recovery efforts were continuing to comb the scene for more bodies, adding that a case of culpable homicide had been opened by the police.
"Interpol NCB Pretoria will continue to liaise with and update Interpol NCB Gaborone on the process to identify and repatriate the remains of the deceased," Mathe said.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa conveyed his condolences to the Republic of Botswana and to the family and friends of the 45 bus crash victims.
In a call to Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi , Ramaphosa pledged continued support of the South African government during this time of need for the people of Botswana.
President Masisi expressed his gratitude for the cooperation that the government of Botswana has received from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), as well as from the provincial and local government structures, Ramaphosa's office said.
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PWD, Google Maps officials booked in Bareilly bridge death case
Budaun (UP), Nov 25: Police here have booked officials of the Public Works Department and Google Maps in connection with the death of three men whose car rolled over an under-construction bridge while following directions on the navigation app, an officer on Monday said.
The car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge in Dataganj Police Station area early Sunday.
Nitin and Ajit, aged 30, both brothers from Farrukhabad district, and Amit, 40, from Mainpuri district, were on their way from Noida to Faridpur in Bareilly to attend a wedding.
According to police, the driver was led by Google Maps into taking the unsafe route.
The incident took place on the Bareilly-Budaun border.
Dataganj Police Station SHO Gaurav Bishnoi said an FIR on charges of laxity in duty and others was filed against four engineers of the PWD, along with some unknown people.
The regional officer of Google Map has also been brought under the scope of investigation. His name is yet to be included in the FIR.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson of Google in a statement said, "Our deepest sympathies go out to the families. We're working closely with the authorities and providing our support to investigate the issue."
On Sunday, Faridpur Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam said, "Earlier this year, floods caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse onto the river, but this change had not been updated in the system."
He said the bridge had no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach.
