A bus crashed off a highway bridge into a polluted ravine in Guatemala City early Monday, resulting in at least 51 deaths and leaving survivors trapped, according to a spokesperson from the city’s fire department.
The crowded bus, traveling from San Agustin Acasaguastlan to the capital, plunged approximately 20 meters from Puente Belice, a highway bridge that spans over a road and creek.
Carlos Hernandez, the spokesperson, reported that the bodies of 36 men and 15 women had been sent to a provincial morgue set up for the victims.
Images shared by the fire department on social media showed the bus partially submerged in wastewater, surrounded by the bodies of the victims.
In response to the tragedy, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo declared three days of national mourning and deployed the army and disaster agency to aid in the recovery efforts.
“I stand in solidarity with the families of the victims who today woke up to heartbreaking news. Their pain is my pain,” Arevalo wrote on social media.
