15 die, 19 injured in Guatemala bus accident

Guatemala City [Guatemala], December 27 : At least 15 people have been killed and 19 injured after a passenger bus plunged into a ravine on the Inter-American Highway in western Guatemala, Al Jazeera reported, citing local authorities.

The deaths included 11 men, three women and a minor, according to Leandro Amado, a spokesperson for local firefighters.

Amado told reporters on Saturday that some 19 injured people were taken to hospitals near the scene of the accident, as per Al Jazeera.

The crash occurred in the Solola Department between kilometres 172 and 174, in an area nicknamed "Alaska Peak" because of its rugged terrain, in the department of Totonicapan (western Guatemala).

The dense fog in that area often reduces visibility for drivers taking the route in question.

The bus, which was travelling between Guatemala City and the department of San Marcos, on the border with Mexico, fell into a ravine almost 75 metres (250ft) deep for unknown reasons, Amado added.

Images shared by the fire department on social media early on Saturday showed the wrecked bus in the ravine as firefighters worked at the scene to rescue the wounded and recover the bodies of the victims.

Relatives of the passengers arrived at the scene of the accident as well as the hospitals around the area searching for their loved ones, local media reports said, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Early in 2025, more than 50 people died and many others were injured in another major bus crash in the country, when the vehicle plunged into a polluted ravine outside Guatemala City.

Earlier on February 10, at least 51 died and others have been injured when a bus plunged into a polluted ravine outside Guatemala City, according to Guatemalan officials, as quoted by Al Jazeera.

Mynor Ruano, a spokesman for the city's fire service, told reporters on Monday that efforts were under way "to save other people who are trapped" in the wreckage. The bodies of 36 men and 15 women have been sent to a provincial morgue.

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