Police and local authorities said on Saturday that a crash involving two buses in Bolivia had killed no fewer than 37 people and injured many others in the western Potosí region.
The accident was reported to have occurred in the early hours of the morning on the route between the cities of Uyuni and Colchani, when one of the vehicles swerved into the oncoming lane.
“As a result of this fatal accident, we have 39 people injured in four hospitals in the town of Uyuni, and 37 people have lost their lives,” a spokesman for the Departmental Police Command of Potosí said.
The spokesperson added that police personnel were working to identify both the deceased and the injured who had been hospitalised.
At the scene, a crane was seen overturning one of the buses, which had rolled onto its side, while police officers removed bodies from the wreckage and carried them away wrapped in blankets.
The Bolivian Ministry of Government said in a statement that a preliminary investigation revealed one of the buses had encroached into the oncoming lane, presumably due to speeding, causing the collision.
Bus accident kills 37 in Bolivia
