A family trip has sadly ended in tragedy when they accidentally drove their van off into a ravine. In the resulting wreckage several of the family died.
The incident happened on Sunday, March 23. The van had been traveling on Highway 14 in Nuevo León, Mexico. According to a Nuevo León's Civil Defense Facebook post, that's when the vehicle lost control. The van went careening into the deep ravine as a result. The impact of the crash caused the van to burst into flames.
The wreckage also ended up igniting a forest fire in the area as well. The van held 12 members of the Martínez Quintanilla family with 16 people total on board. Sadly several members of the family ended up perishing in the resulting van crash. The Nuevo León Attorney General's Office confirmed that 10-year-old José Gael Martínez Puntos and 15-year-old Melanie Martínez Hernández as well as 64-year-old José Guadalupe Martínez Agustince died.
Van Crash
Meanwhile, Eduardo and Emiliano Quintanilla, both children, as well as their relative, Josué Martínez also died in the van crash. The exact cause of the crash hasn't been determined at this point. However, authorities are currently investigating the cause of the wreckage. The working theory is that the van had been having some brake issues. Potentially, this caused the vehicle to crash out of control.
Following the crash, firefighters worked to put out the fire and prevent the forest fire from spreading elsewhere. They also worked to extract the bodies of those who had been killed in the wreckage. Immediately following the crash, officials closed down the area to protect the public from the resulting flames.
A week after the crash, the Martínez Quintanilla family held a funeral for those who died. Two of the surviving family members were able to recover from their injuries and pay their respects to the deceased.
Paula Araceli Camacho, a family member of Eduardo and Emiliano, told KGNS-TV: "The truth is, we're devastated. To the people who know us, we're a very united family. We've always been very close. They were our only nephews."
It's a tragedy for the family that had been in the van.
