Up to 60 killed after bus spills into Guatemalan gully
Dozens killed in Guatemalan bus crash
Also In The News
|
Javier Mascherano's protracted move to  |
Saturday, 01, Mar 2008 07:10
Up to 60 people are feared dead after an overcrowded bus plunged off a motorway in Guatemala late last night.
The latest death-toll from the accident site at the city of Cuilapa is 57, with reports suggesting up to 100 people were travelling on the bus, which had an official capacity of just 40.
The bus had been travelling east from Guatemala City to neighbouring Central American country El Salvador at the time of the accident.
It is understood the driver lost control of the vehicle at a sharp turn, with the bus rolling off the road into a gully.
US broadcaster CNN quoted journalist Martin Austurias as describing the bus as "just a bunch of metal".
Many of the crash's survivors are seriously injured, with firefighter spokesman Carlos Perez confirming the death-toll was likely to rise.
"Many of them had broken bones or severe head injuries. It's likely that many of them will die," he told the Associated Press news agency.
Road accidents in Guatemala, home to 13.4 million people, are commonplace due to the country's poor transport infrastructure and buses regularly being overcrowded.