Bolivia bus crash: At least 37 dead after two buses collide in early morning tragedy

Staff Writers
Reuters
A handout photo provided by the Bolivian Prosecutor’s Office shows one of two buses involved in a collision near Uyuni. At least 37 people died and some 30 others were injured after two buses collided, according to Bolivia's National Police.
A handout photo provided by the Bolivian Prosecutor’s Office shows one of two buses involved in a collision near Uyuni. At least 37 people died and some 30 others were injured after two buses collided, according to Bolivia's National Police. Credit: Bolivian Prosecutor Office HANDOUT/EPA

A crash involving two buses in Bolivia has left at least 37 people dead and dozens injured in the western Potosi region, police and local authorities say.

The accident happened during the early morning hours 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 Potosi told reporters.

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Police personnel are working to identify people who were killed and those who were injured and hospitalised, the spokesman added.

At the scene, a crane turned over one of the buses, which had rolled over onto its side, and police officers were seen removing bodies from the crashed vehicles and carrying them away wrapped in blankets.

The other bus involved in the tragic crash.
The other bus involved in the tragic crash. Credit: Bolivian Prosecutor Office /EPA

According to the preliminary investigation, one of the buses encroached into the oncoming lane, presumably due to speeding, and caused the collision, the Bolivian ministry of government said in a statement.

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