/ 1 March 2008

Guatemala bus plunges off cliff, 37 killed

A crowded bus plunged off a cliff into a deep ravine in Guatemala on Friday, killing 37 people and injuring 25, emergency workers said.

The bus was packed with people traveling to the village of Chiquimulilla in southern Guatemala when it skidded off the edge as it sped around a bend, said Mynor Rodas, a spokesperson for the municipal fire department.

”It went straight into the ravine,” Mynor said.

The injured were taken to nearby hospitals, he said.

In rural Guatemala, peasants often travel long distances on overcrowded, rickety school buses to work as day labourers on agricultural plantations. Fatal accidents are common on the dangerous, badly maintained roads. – Reuters