At least 53 people were killed when a bus crashed into a ravine in Guatemala City, according to government officials. The bus collided with other vehicles on a main bridge before falling into the ravine early Monday morning.
The driver may have lost control of the vehicle due to a mechanical failure, but the investigation is still ongoing. Security-camera footage showed the bus traveling at a high speed before the collision.
News of the crash spread quickly, and many households were informed about the accident, including Jeison Galindo, whose father-in-law was taking the same route every day. He rushed to the scene to confirm his father-in-law’s fate after seeing a man who matched his family member on Facebook.
Guatemala’s president, Bernardo Arévalo, declared three days of national mourning and ordered the army to support rescue efforts. Rescue workers struggled to reach the bodies in the ravine but managed to pull out 15 corpses within an hour.
A crowd gathered at the temporary morgue, where the rescuers were working, anxiously awaiting news about their loved ones. Many families had lost multiple family members, including Edna Mariela Martínez and her three children, who all died in the crash. The bodies of those identified would be returned to their families, while unidentified corpses would go to the city morgue.
The incident has sent shockwaves through Guatemala City, with many expressing grief and solidarity for the victims’ families.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/world/americas/guatemala-bus-crash-bridge.html