At least 20 people died and some 38 were injured in a bus accident in Bolivia, Cochabamba Police Department Commander Jorge Ríos reported Thursday.
“We have 20 people who have died, unfortunately, three of these 20 are children,” the police chief said.
The incident occurred the day before in the area known as Locotal, at kilometer 80 of the highway that connects the central department of Cochabamba with the eastern department of Santa Cruz.
Ríos explained that the work of recovering the bodies and treating the 38 injured continued into the early hours of this morning, and that efforts to fully identify the victims are still underway.
“Preliminary evidence suggests that the cause was the vehicle leaving the road, resulting in the accident,” or sideways rollover of the vehicle on an uneven platform, Ríos said.
Police reported that 11 of the dead were men and 9 were women, while the injured included elderly people and a 4-month-old baby.
Ríos reported that a blood sample was taken from the driver to determine whether he had consumed alcohol, and that statements from survivors are being collected to provide an account of the incident.
The captain stated that several of the passengers were members of a folklore fraternity.
The festival of the Virgin of Urkupiña was recently celebrated in Cochabamba. Several musical and dance groups from around the country arrived in the region.
Accidents on Bolivian roads cause around 1,400 deaths and 40,000 injuries each year, and are mostly due to preventable human error, according to official data.
Among the vehicles that most frequently suffer serious accidents are motorcycles (4,236), vans (1,665) and unionized transport minibuses (1,405), indicated the state insurance company Univida.
The list of the deceased:
MEN
1. Carlos Walter Justiniano Calderón (Bus Driver)2. José Daniel Vargas Fuentes (6 years old)3. Cristian Daniel Villavicencio Herrera (24 years old)4. Jorque Apaza Arnez (68 years old)5. Roberto Mariaca (61 years old)6. Junior Medina Chávez7. Salvador Suniga Callejas8. Not identified9. Not identified10.
WOMEN
12. Nelly Sangueza Vasquez (51 years old) 13. Camila Mollo Sangueza (20 years old) 14. María Clara Espinoza Coronado (66 years old) 15. Marines Gutiérrez Maida (36 years old) 16. María Luz Vargas Fuentes (4 years old) 17. Flor Sandoval 18. Katerine Fátima García Villarroel (29 years old) 19. Patricia Chiqueño Picanare (22 years old) 20. Unidentified (person in skirt)
