Horror as at least 12 are killed and 30 injured after bus packed with tourists plunged down 160ft gorge in Colombia
At least twelve people have been killed and thirty injured after a bus full of tourists plunged into a 50-metre gorge.
The horror happened in the early hours of January 3 in Pasto, Colombia, on a section of the Pan-American Highway.
Shocking photos taken in the aftermath show the bus lying in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the canyon.
The vehicle was carrying 42 passengers and the victims were rushed to hospitals in Tangua, Ipiales and the city of Pasto, as reported by NTN24.
Colombian traffic police are still investigating the ages and identities of those involved in the accident.
María Constanza García Alicastro, Colombia’s transport minister, paid tribute on social media.
He wrote: ‘My deepest condolences to the families affected by this tragedy and I express my full solidarity on behalf of the national government in these difficult times.’
It is believed the tragic crash was caused by a mechanical fault in the bus.
At least twelve people have been killed and thirty injured after a bus full of tourists plunged into a 50-metre gorge. Shocking photos taken in the aftermath show the bus lying in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the canyon
Colombian traffic police are still investigating the ages and identities of those involved in the accident. In the photo: Forensic experts are on site
The horror occurred in the early hours of January 3 in Pasto, Colombia, on a section of the Pan-American Highway. Here the bus can be seen lying at the bottom of the gorge
The vehicle fell into the gorge at kilometer 49 of the Pasto-Rumichaca highway, in Tangua (Nariño).
He is believed to have driven on roads with sharp bends and curves before the accident.
The bus was on its way to the popular tourist hotspot Santuario de las Lajas, in Ipiales, Nariño.
It comes as two teenage schoolgirls narrowly missed being crushed by a minibus in Colombia last October.
The girls, both 14 years old, were sitting on a sidewalk after being expelled from school on Tuesday afternoon in Ciudad Bolivar, a neighborhood in the capital Bogotá, when public transport rumbled down the street after breaks reportedly failed.
Surveillance footage showed the minivan skidding across a stretch of sidewalk and flying over the teens.
The girls managed to get up before one of them stumbled to the ground, while the other ran away and fell into the street.
The vehicle was carrying 42 passengers and the victims were rushed to hospitals in Tangua, Ipiales and the city of Pasto, as reported by NTN24. In the photo: Police and rescue workers inspect the crash site
The vehicle overturned to the left side and struck a wooden utility pole.
One of the students, Jirley Bermúdez, told Colombian television station CityTV that she turned around after hearing a loud noise in the background as the minibus sped toward her and her friend.
“Actually a miracle,” said student María Mercedes Carranza. ‘I felt a vibration on the ground and turned to look back. What I saw was the car rolling.”
Bermudez said residents rushed into the street and initially thought they had been run over by the minivan.