Bacalar, Q.R. — Four people from inside a compact car were killed after their vehicle was crushed by a passenger bus. The accident happened in the municipality of Bacalar early Monday.
Emergency responders found the fatal scene after a 2:00 a.m. report of the accident. Authorities arrived to find both vehicles had ended up in roadside brush. Under the bus was where they found what was left of the compact car.
According to preliminary information, the driver of the bus crossed the center median and into oncoming traffic near the Buenavista junction. The vehicle hit was a compact Chevy car carrying three adults and one child.
All four inside the car, including a two-year-old child, were killed. More than a dozen bus passengers were reported injured. Emergency responders worked more than three hours to free those from inside the crushed car.
Paramedics transferred a total of 17 people from the bus to the Bacalar Integral Hospital. Two of them are reported serious, while the other 15 were treated for minor injuires.
The bus had left Cancun late Sunday but experienced a mechanical issue at Puerto Aventuras. After spending several hours there, the bus left Puerto Aventuras and resumed its journey. The accident happened approximately five kilometers from the town of Bacalar.
Early reports say a mechanical failure caused the bus to swerve into the oncoming lane, however, authorities have not provided official data. The driver of the bus was bound for Tabasco at the time of the accident.