Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — UPDATED: At least one person has been killed and numerous others injured after a bus smashed into the back of a semi. The 307 highway accident happened around 3:00 p.m. Monday just north of Playa del Carmen.

Playa del Carmen firemen were called in to assist with the removal of trapped bus passengers. The crash left the front of the bus completely smashed inward and its doors inoperable.


Firemen used the jaws of life to cut the bus free of the semi. Emergency rescue personnel used ladders to get the passengers out of the bus through side windows.


The deceased was a man. He was found laying in the middle of the highway several meters from the accident scene. It is not known if the deceased man was the driver of the bus or a passenger.

The bus was reportedly transporting Riviera Maya hotel staff when it hit the back of the loaded semi.

Emergency teams from National Guard, Civil Protection and firefighters along with ambulances from several municipalities arrived at the scene to assess the situation and transfer the injured to hospitals.
Police have not said exactly how the afternoon accident happened. It is not known if the semi was parked when it was hit from behind by the bus. Due to preliminary information, the official number of injured is unknown.
UPDATE January 20 P.M.: Early information indicates that the bus slammed into the back of the parked semi after hitting a pedestrian. The driver of the bus swerved to avoid a woman who was jaywalking across the federal highway when he lost control of the unit.
The bus hit the pedestrian before slamming into the back of the parked semi. The dead body found on the highway behind the bus is that of the pedestrian. Police have confirmed the pedestrian was a woman and not a man. She has been identified as María del Carmen “N”, a worker at a nearby hotel. She was crossing the federal highway to get to her place of employment when she was hit by the bus.