Puerto Morelos, Q.R. — A man was killed Thursday afternoon on a stretch of Puerto Morelos highway in a two vehicle crash. He was pronounced dead at the scene after hitting the back of a bus.
Firemen, National Guard and Civil Protection personnel were some of the first responders to reports of the accident that left the bus in flames. Emergency vehicles rushed to the scene shortly before 2:00 p.m. where they found flames coming from the engine of the bus and a deceased male on the highway.
According to preliminary information, the driver of the bus had slowed to turn into a hotel. In doing so, he is alleged to have cut off the motorcycle, causing the driver to hit the back of the bus. The male motorcycle driver was thrown several meters off his bike and onto the pavement. His helmet flew off in the process. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
The accident happened near the entrance to the Royal Splash hotel approximately 10 kilometers north of the town of Puerto Morelos. Police had the northbound lane toward Cancun shut while they dealt with the two vehicle crash.
Puerto Moreloes firemen were called in to extinguish the burning bus after efforts by witnesses with fire extinguishers failed.
The entire bus went up in flames shooting thick black smoke into the air that was visible for kilometers. Firemen were unable to save the bus.
In a statement the SSC (Secretaría de Seguridad Ciudadana) reported on the Thursday afternoon accident. “At 1:55 p.m., a report of a vehicle accident was received on the Cancun-Playa del Carmen federal highway at kilometer 332, near the Royalton Splash hotel.
“Emergency units were immediately dispatched to the area. Upon arrival, members of the National Guard and a medical unit confirmed that one person had unfortunately died. The lane toward Cancun was blocked.”
Puerto Morelos City Hall also made the public aware of the fatal two vehicle accident saying “due to a serious accident that occurred in front of the Royalton Hotel entrance, vehicular traffic from Playa del Carmen to Cancun is closed.
“It is recommended to take alternate routes such as the Ruta de los Cenotes (Cenote Route) to reach the airport into the municipality of Benito Juárez. Rescue and security forces are already working in the area.”
The driver of the bus was arrested from the scene. The deceased motorcycle driver has not been identified pending family notification.
