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Death toll from Guatemalan bus crash rises to 53

Villagers look at the site of a bus crash near Cuilapa, east of Guatemala City, on Saturday. PHOTO: AP

The death toll rose to 53 in the crash of an overcrowded bus whose brakes apparently failed, after seven injured passengers died and a body was found in the wreckage on Saturday.

Survivors of Friday's crash told rescue workers that the bus driver had tried to brake by downshifting gears before the bus plunged off the highway and rolled down a 15m slope, said Benedicto Giron, the spokesman for Guatemala's committee for national disaster prevention.

"The survivors told us that about seven kilometers before the scene of the accident, the driver said, `We lost our brakes, I'm going to try to brake with the motor,'" Giron said.

But the attempt to downshift was apparently unsuccessful, damaging the gearbox and leaving the bus out of control, Giron said.

Initial investigations suggest the bus had already flipped on its side and slid for about 200m down the highway before rolling down the slope into a gully.

The bus driver was among the seven who died of their injuries at local hospitals.

The vehicle, which had an official capacity of 40 passengers, was carrying about 70 passengers when it was crushed by the impact of the crash.

The wreck occurred near the city of Cuilapa, about 40km east of Guatemala City. Forty-five people were found dead at the scene; the 17 remaining injured are being treated at nearby hospitals.

Guatemalan buses are frequently overloaded and must navigate rudimentary roads.
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