Tragedy in the Andean region: 10 dead in a bus accident on the Mérida-Barinas highway
The number of deaths from the bus accident that occurred on the Mérida – Barinas highway rose to 10 this Sunday. Security forces are working in the area to recover all the bodies. The fatal accident occurred around 3:30 pm on Saturday when a bus from the Unión Táchira line, which was covering the Barinas–Mérida route, fell down an abyss of at least 1,000 meters, in the La Campana sector of the Cardenal Quintero municipality of Mérida. The search for the bodies extended until this Sunday due to the rugged terrain of the sector and the climatic conditions. Officials from the Fire Department, Civil Protection, and the Scientific, Criminal and Criminal Investigations Corps (Cicpc) are working at the site. Rescue teams reported that four bodies are still missing and remain at the scene of the accident, according to the regional newspaper La Nación, which could increase the death toll. Victims of bus accident identified Among the deceased is the driver of the transport unit, identified as Germán Altuve. The company's board issued a note of mourning for the death of the worker. In addition, relatives identified five other deceased at the Santo Domingo hospital morgue. They are Yosman Toro, César Rangel, Giorian Jesús Rojas, Edilia Rincón, and the Táchira musician José Rafael Saavedra. The other three deceased have not yet been identified. Injured Three people were injured in the accident, two are being treated in hospitals in Mérida and one in Barinas. Relatives of people who have not been located remain in the vicinity of the morgue awaiting official information. In an official statement, it was reported that multidisciplinary teams are working non-stop in adverse conditions. It was learned that, to maintain the work, strict restrictions are in place on traffic on the road. For this reason, authorities urged drivers to avoid traveling on these routes to avoid obstructing the movement of emergency vehicles.
