Guatemalan Bus Plunges Off Cliff , Kills At Least 43
GUATEMALA CITY - At least 43 people
were killed and dozens injured on Monday
when a bus went off a cliff on a hairpin
bend in rural Guatemala , tumbling some
200 meters (660 feet ) into a river at the
bottom of a ravine, officials said .
Rescue workers said the bus, which
plunged off of a paved highway about 60
km ( 37 miles ) northwest of Guatemala
City , was destroyed and more than 40
people were taken to hospitals for
treatment .
Investigators do not yet know what
caused the crash or what was the final
destination of the bus , which was
traveling south toward Guatemala City .
Rescue workers said conditions were dry
and mostly sunny and that the bus was
likely over capacity .
"The bus was overloaded ," said Sergio
Vasquez, a volunteer firefighter at the
site .
He said 38 people died at the scene ,
including six children and 12 women. Five
more died at hospitals, he said .
Local television said many passengers
were vendors taking farm produce to
market.
The government declared three days of
national mourning.
The last major bus accident in
Guatemala occurred in 2008 when an
overcrowded bus slid off a highway and
down a 15- meter (50- foot ) slope some
65 km (40 miles) southeast of the
capital, killing 53.
