Bolivia Bus Crash Kills 14, Leaves 18 Injured

AFP-jiji

13:09 JST, August 18, 2024

At least 14 people were killed and 18 injured in a bus crash in southern Bolivia, police said Saturday.

The accident occurred on Friday night, when a bus swerved and crashed into a cliff on a busy road connecting the city of Tarija, about 880 kilometers (546 miles) south of the capital La Paz, with the central city of Santa Cruz.

One survivor told the Tarija Conecta news outlet it appeared that the vehicle’s brakes had failed.

Tarija police chief Jose Illanes said 14 people died at the scene and 18 received treatment for injuries.

According to government data, road accidents kill about 1,400 people on average every year in Bolivia, a country of about 12 million people.

Most accidents are due to driver error or mechanical failures.

Last month, 22 people died and 16 were injured in western Bolivia when a truck and bus collided head-on.

A similar accident in April claimed 14 lives.