Six people are dead and at least 38 injured after a grisly bus accident in Campeche.
The El Sur bus left Iturbide at full capacity at 7:00am en route to Campeche city, but took on more passengers in the community of Dzibalchén, overloading the vehicle.
Soon after, the driver lost control of the bus, which rolled over and slid several meters before coming to a stop. Two passengers died instantly.
Witnesses and passengers assisted those trapped in the wreckage, who were transported to local health centers. Two passengers died in transit and two more while receiving medical attention.
Among the wounded was driver Jorge Adán Bautista Martínez, 26, who was arrested by police upon regaining consciousness and turned over to the state attorney general (FGE).
Family members of the victims told police that the driver had been seen drinking large quantities of alcohol until the early hours of Monday morning with other drivers in Iturbide shortly before taking the wheel.
Another passenger told authorities that the bus was dangerously over capacity, with 42 passengers seated and 20 standing, and the bus’s speed repeatedly triggered the speed limit alarm, which sounds at 95 kilometers per hour.
State Health Secretary Rafael Rodríguez Cabrera confirmed that a child was among those killed. Seven people remained in critical condition as of earlier today.
State authorities opened an investigation into the cause of the crash, which is being treated as homicide.
Source: Tribuna Campeche (sp), Excélsior (sp)
