Costa Rica is in mourning. At least nine people – three women and six men – were killed when the bus carrying them tipped into a ravine after a landslide caused by heavy rains, a Red Cross spokesman said on Sunday. the country Andres Alvarez.
The vehicle fell Saturday into a ravine 75 meters deep at El Hundimiento pass in Cambronero, about 80 km west of the capital, San José. A motorcyclist, who died in the accident, as well as a car were also dragged into the void, said the Red Cross.
The driver alive
About fifty people, including the bus driver, were rescued and are alive, according to the Costa Rican Social Security services. The rescue operations ended early Sunday afternoon.
The vehicle made the connection between the capital San José and the province of Guanacaste and transported approximately 47 people, indicated to the daily The Nation the owner of the bus company, German Alfaro. Images released by the emergency services show the wreckage of the coach at the bottom of the ravine in this mountainous region where rescue operations were particularly difficult.
Three days of national mourning
Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chavez announced three days of national mourning on Sunday. He also indicated the postponement of his trip to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly due to the emergency situation in the country caused by heavy rains.
While local residents denounced the lack of protective barriers or signs on this stretch of road, the Minister of Public Works Luis Amador for his part considered that “this type of accident is unpredictable”. “It’s not the fault of the government or the bus company. It’s something we can’t predict.” In March 2021, a report by specialists from the University of Costa Rica, however, warned of the risk of the road collapsing in this sector.