Guatemalan Bus Plunges Off Cliff, Killing At Least 38

At least 38 people were killed and dozens injured on Monday (September 9) 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 that the bus, which plunged off of a paved highway roughly 60 km (37 miles) northwest of Guatemala City, was completely destroyed and that 46 people had been taken to nearby hospitals to be treated for injuries.

Investigators do not yet know what caused the crash or what was the final destination of the bus, which was travelling south toward Guatemala City. Rescue workers said that conditions were dry and mostly sunny and that the bus was likely over capacity.

Authorities have not yet confirmed a final death toll.

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.

Presented by Adam Justice