A bus crash in Guatemala left over 40 people dead after the vehicle went off the road and plummeted 660-feet into a ravine. The bus was on its way to San Martin Jilotepeque from Chimaltenango when it crashed. The bus was carrying a total of 90 passengers despite only having enough room for 54 people. There are at least three dead babies as a result of the crash. The Mayor of San Martin Jilotepeque, Otto Vielman told the BBC the bus appeared to have struck a wall of rocks before falling from the cliff.
Reports say the bus crashed about 37 miles northwest of Guatemala City. Another 40 people were taken to hospitals in order to be treated for minor to severe wounds. An investigation into the crash is underway. Volunteer workers at the scene told media outlets the driving conditions that day were not an issue. It was a sunny and dry day, so the likely cause investigators are looking into is that the bus was over capacity and that led to the crash.
There were 38 people killed at the scene of the crash. That number includes six children and 12 adults. Another five people died at the hospital after being pulled from the wreckage. Many of the passengers were vendors taking produce to the farmers market. The Guatemalan government has declared three days of nationwide mourning to remember those who died. The last time a bus crashed in Guatemala killing a large number of people was five years ago in 2008. In the 2008 crash, an overcrowded bus went off a highway and down a steep slope killing 53 people.
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