At least 51 people have died after a passenger bus fell off a bridge in Guatemala. About this informs Reuters.
The overcrowded bus was traveling along the highway from the city of San Agustin Acazaguastlán to the country’s capital when the driver lost control of the vehicle. Before falling, the bus collided with other cars, after which it fell off the bridge into a ravine, crossing the road and a stream.
The Puente Belise Bridge is part of the expressway that leads from the country’s capital to the east. Its height is 20 meters, below it is a secondary road and a swampy ravine. The bus fell into a ravine with its wheels up.
The mayor of the city, Ricardo Quiñones, said that emergency services were sent to the scene of the tragedy, and the traffic police is organizing alternative routes for transport. Rescuers continue the operation to free people who were trapped under the wreckage of the bus. Among the dead are 36 men and 15 women. The exact number of those who were rescued is still unknown.
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo announced three days of national mourning and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.
