A second bus crash in two days has killed at least 50 people. This comes just hours after a bus crash in Campeche, Mexico killed at least 41 people.
A crowded bus drove off a bridge into a ravine in Guatemala, killing at least 50 people in the process. The incident happened during the early morning of February 10. The bus had been driving down Belice Bridge when it crashed with two other vehicles and went plunging over the side of the bridge.
According to CBS News, the bus was heading from Progreso, Guatemala. It ended up plunging 115 feet into a ravine, landing upside down, and submerging in the water. Survivors were trapped in the bus as it began to take on water. In total, there were 70 passengers on the trip, with more than 50 dying.
Following the tragedy, Guatemala City Mayor Ricardo Quiñónez released a statement on X.
He wrote, "We deeply regret the incidents that occurred today, the armed attack and the multiple accident involving a bus coming from outside the city that claimed the lives of people. We express our solidarity with the affected families and reaffirm our commitment to address this crisis with immediate action."
He continued, "We have deployed all emergency services to speed up rescue work @obrasmuniguate@bomberosmuni and medical assistance. The Municipal Traffic Police @PMTMuniGuate is working on creating alternative routes to facilitate mobility in the affected area. Given the complexity of traffic in the coming hours, we call on @GuatemalaGob, companies and institutions to, to the extent possible, implement teleworking and staggered schedules, thus reducing the vehicular load and allowing a more agile response from the authorities."
Bus Crash Kills 50
Meanwhile, Benemérito Cuerpo Voluntario de Bomberos de Guatemala, a volunteer fire department, said on Facebook that rescue attempts after the bus crash took more than six hours.
It wrote, "It has been worked for more than six and a half hours to rescue the bodies of the people who were trapped in the bus that fell in Zone 6; vehicle rescue equipment was used to free the bodies and take them to the temporary morgue to have the official data of people who died in this accident."
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo shared a tribute about the bus crash on X, calling it a "tragedy."
He wrote, "The tragedy at the Belize Bridge is a national pain that I deeply regret. I stand in solidarity with the families of the victims who today woke up to heartbreaking news. Their pain is my pain. As President, 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. Furthermore, I have decided to declare a period of national mourning, which will soon be formalized by government agreement."
