Guatemala: More than 50 dead in bus accident

Authorities confirmed that at least 51 people died in a bus accident that occurred very close to Guatemala City, Guatemala, on the Belize Bridge, one of the main roads to access the country's capital.

"A unified command was formed with the different alert institutions in the country, where we carried out an effective work removing a total of 51 bodies," reported José Santizo, a firefighter and member of the rescue team, in statements reported by AFP.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo conveyed his condolences to the families and relatives of the victims and informed that he had decreed national mourning.

"The tragedy at the Belize Bridge is a national pain that I deeply regret. I sympathize with the families of the victims who are waking up today with heartbreaking news. Their pain is my pain. As president, I have instructed to mobilize the personnel of the National Army and CONRED to assist on site and to activate special criteria for medical attention to the injured. In addition, I have decided to decree national mourning, which will soon be formalized through a governmental agreement," Arévalo wrote on social media.

The accident occurred this Monday morning. A group of 70 people were traveling aboard a bus covering the route between San Cristóbal Acasaguastlán and Guatemala City.

When the vehicle was traveling over the Belize Bridge, it suddenly went off the road and fell into a ravine. Emergency teams and the rest of the authorities arrived on the scene to rescue the passengers and the bodies of the victims. As the hours progressed, the death toll rose.

For the moment, authorities have not clarified the reasons behind the accident. However, inicial reports suggest that it could be due to an excess of passengers inside the bus, which could have caused a lack of stability.