Child survivor of crash that killed 45 flies home to Botswana

An eight-year-old girl, the only passenger who survived after a bus plunged off a bridge in South Africa, has left hospital and flown back to her home country.

Forty-five pilgrims were travelling from Botswana's capital, Gaborone, to an Easter service in the South African town of Moria when their vehicle crashed through a barrier and caught fire upon hitting the ground some 50m (165ft) below.

The surviving girl was hospitalised with serious injuries. She is now in a stable condition.

Health authorities in the north-eastern Limpopo province, where the crash took place, said the girl flew from Polokwane Airport on Wednesday morning.

Pictures posted by the authorities on Facebook show the girl being transported to her flight via wheelchair. A blanket covers her face and she appears to have a bandage wrapped round her head.

In one image, a teddy bear rests on her lap.