At least 19 people died and 18 were injured Monday after a bus fell into a ravine at kilometre 160 of the Ruta Interamericana in western Guatemala, said local authorities.

The accident took place in the municipality of Nahuala, in the western department of Solola and was allegedly caused by speeding,  according to relief agencies.

The overloaded bus, with more than 80 passengers, left the municipality of Tucana in the department of San Marcos which borders Mexico, in the early hours of Monday morning.

Edgar Arana, spokesperson for Guatemala's Health Ministry, told journalists that the injured, some in serious condition, were transferred to Solola's National Hospital.

The driver lost control of the bus on a bend, causing the bus to fall into the ravine which was around 100 metres deep, according to witnesses.

The spokesperson for the National Civil Police's Traffic Department, Dalia Santos, said the bus driver is among the injured.

A total of 10,375 people died in road accidents in Guatemala over the past six years, according to authorities of the Central American country.

Source:
courtesy of XINHUA NEWS AGENCY

by Xinhua News Agency

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