LA PAZ, Jul 13 (NNN-XINHUA) – At least 24 people died and another 10 were injured, after a public transportation bus plunged into a ravine, more than 100 metres deep in the southern Bolivian department of Chuquisaca, police and medical workers said.
The director of the Traffic Operational Unit, Colonel Jose Luis Assaf, told reporters, the number of fatal victims may rise due to the severity of their injuries.
According to Assaf, it was not clear what caused the accident, near the community of Chataquila, where police and firefighters continued to work to rescue the injured and recover the bodies.
“We are waiting for specialised personnel and a crane to arrive, although the conditions of the site make access difficult,” he said, adding, the bus had the capacity to carry about 35 passengers.
Dr. Marcelo Valdivia of the Santa Barbara Hospital, where the injured were taken, confirmed the severity of the injuries.
The driver of the bus, which was travelling from Potolo to Sucre, has not been identified, but it is presumed he is among the victims still trapped beneath the wreckage.
