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CatastropheCosta Rica

Costa Rica: Bus crash claims at least 9 lives

September 19, 2022

The tragedy occurred as several parts of Costa Rica were lashed by heavy rains. The country's president has declared three days of mourning.

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Rescuers work at the scene of a deadly bus crash in Costa Rica
A landslide hit the vehicle, throwing it off a cliff in Costa Rica's Alajuela provinceImage: Cruz Roja/REUTERS

A bus and two other vehicles fell into a ravine in Costa Rica amid heavy rains, leaving at least nine people dead and several injured, officials said Sunday.

A landslide in a mountain pass called El Hundimiento in Alajuela Province’s Cambronero area, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of the capital San Jose, caused the vehicles on Saturday to fall into the 75-meter (245-foot) ravine. 

"As of now, we know of nine people who did not have vital signs," the Red Cross said in a statement on Twitter after the accident.

Authorities said 55 people were rescued and taken to the hospital. Firefighters and other assistance services including emergency teams worked through Sunday to recover bodies, according to the judicial police.

A bus and two other vehicles pushed into a ravine in Costa Rica
A bus and two other vehicles plunged into the ravine, with dozens of people having been rescued by authoritiesImage: Costa Rica Fire Department/AFP

The bus was on a passenger route between San Jose and the northwestern province of Santa Cruz de Guanacaste.

Hundreds of families had to be evacuated, as the rains caused severe damage. The downpour is expected to continue in coastal areas, the National Meteorological Institute said on Sunday.

"This situation in which many families lose their belongings is really sad and worrying," said Costa Rica President Rodrigo Chaves. He also decreed a three-day mourning on Sunday.

see/wd (Reuters, AP, AFP)