A bus carrying more than 70 passengers in Guatemala collided with two other vehicles on Monday, February 10. This resulted in the bus plunging off a bridge and into a ravine, causing the death of at least 56 passengers in "Puente Belice", or Belice Bridge.
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According to CBS News, the impact itself caused the death of 52 of the passengers. Four others were transported to a local hospital but unfortunately succumbed to their injuries. This was confirmed by local firefighting spokesman Edwin Villagran. According to another spokesman, ?"scar Sánchez, while no further details were given, children are among the fatal victims.
The Guatemala City Fire Department spokesman Carlos Hernández spoke with CBS News and revealed the sad and tragic details of the incident. According to Hernández, the bus, after colliding with the other vehicles, fell 115 feet into the ravine. The ravine was polluted with sewage. The bus landed upside down, leaving the passengers submerged in the polluted waters.
Rescue Efforts, Tragedy
According to
Benemérito Cuerpo Voluntarios de Bomberos de Guatemala, a voluntary fire department, it took more than six and a half hours to rescue the bodies of the passengers. As said before, they were left trapped inside the bus. The fire department had to use vehicle rescue equipment to carry out the rescue efforts. They later transported the bodies to a local morgue to identify the deceased.Cruz Roja Guatemalteca, a non-profit organization, also helped with the transportation of the bodies. They also provided "psychosocial help and pre-hospital care" for 100 family members at the scene of the incident.
Ricardo Quiñónez, the Guatemala City Mayor, addressed the tragedy on X.
"We deeply regret the incidents that occurred today, the armed attack and the accident involving a bus coming from outside the city that claimed the lives of people," Quiñónez wrote. "We express our solidarity with the affected families and reaffirm our commitment to address this crisis with immediate action."
Similarly, the Guatemalan president, Bernardo Arévalo, called the incident a "tragedy." He also stated that he "stands in solidarity with the families of the victims."
"I have instructed the mobilization of personnel from the National Army and CONRED to assist on-site and activate special criteria for medical care for the wounded," President Arévalo wrote on X. "Furthermore, I have decided to declare a period of national mourning, which will soon be formalized by government agreement."
