According to the local fire department, dozens of people were killed when a bus fell into a ravine on the outskirts of Guatemala City.
Newsweek contacted the fire department via email for comment.
The Context
According to the Associated Press, at least 51 people were killed, including Hector Flores, who was coordinating the municipal government’s response.
According to Reuters, the bus fell about 20 meters from Puente Belice, a highway bridge that spans a road and a creek on a busy route to and from the city.
What To Know
According to firefighter spokesman Edwin Villagran, the bus fell off the bridge before dawn on Monday as a result of a multi-vehicle crash.
The bus fell 115 feet into a sewage-polluted stream, landing upside down and half-submerged. It was heading into Guatemala City from Progreso, northeast of their destination.
According to volunteer firefighting spokesman Óscar Sánchez, the victims included children. According to Reuters, spokesman Carlos Hernandez said 36 of the victims were men and 15 were women. They have been transferred to a provincial morgue. According to El Salvadorian breaking news website Alerta Noticias, the bodies were first gathered in Guatemala City’s El Carmen neighborhood community hall. There is also video of the bodies being placed side by side after they were discovered on the stream’s bank.
According to Alerta Noticias, the bus driver, Billy Anibal Foronda Azañón, has died.
“Police in that country have revealed that the driver had a type C license, which is not suitable for driving this type of vehicle,” Alerta Noticias wrote in a post. “Communications Minister Miguel Ángel Díaz said that initial investigations determined that the vehicle involved in the accident had been in operation for more than three decades, but he acknowledged that it had a valid license to circulate in this way on the streets.”
According to Villagran, several other people were seriously injured in the crash. Reuters also reported that survivors were trapped inside the bus. According to Alerta Noticias, there were over 70 people on the bus, and 20 of them were injured and taken to a hospital in critical condition. Some of the victims have died, according to the news outlet.
According to the Mexico Times, between four and ten people were “rescued from the bottom of the ravine with serious injuries.” Firefighters worked more than four hours, according to Alerta Noticias.
The Associated Press released photos taken by Moises Castillo of crews climbing onto the upside-down bus. Others were inside the bus, scaling it as it remained tilted toward the water and partially submerged.
Debris was scattered along the stream’s shoreline and in the water. The windows were shattered, and the bumper was partially removed. A victim was seen being placed on a red stretcher.
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo declared a three-day national mourning period following the incident.
What People Are Saying
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo, on X (formerly Twitter): “The tragedy at the Belize Bridge is a national tragedy that I deeply mourn. I stand in solidarity with the victims’ families, who received heartbreaking news this morning. “Their pain is my pain.”
Amilcar Montejo, a public road spokesperson for the municipality of Guatemala, on X: “CAUTION FOR SOME VEHICLES STOPPING ON THE BELIZE BRIDGE
“Several drivers get out to see what’s going on on Calzada La Paz with the bus that fell into a ravine.”
“Slow mobility up to km 13 in Zone 18.
“Authorities are processing the relevant information from the scene. Please be aware that there are road detours and reversible lanes in the area.
What Happens Next
Arévalo also stated that he would send the army and the National Coordination for Disaster Reduction agency to the site to assist.
