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At least 50 killed as bus plunges off Guatemala bridge

Rescuers assist in the aftermath of the deadly bus crash.

Rescuers assist in the aftermath of the deadly bus crash. Photo: Facebook/Bomberos Voluntarios Gualán

A bus has veered off a highway bridge into a polluted ravine in Guatemala City, killing at least 51 people and trapping survivors, a spokesman for the city’s fire department says.

The densely packed bus was travelling into the capital from the town of San Agustin Acasaguastlan on a busy route into the city from when it plunged about 20 metres from Puente Belice, a highway bridge that crosses over a road and creek.

Spokesman Carlos Hernandez said the bodies of 36 men and 15 women had been sent to a provincial morgue set up for the accident.

Images shared by the fire department on social media showed the bus partially submerged in wastewater surrounded by victims’ bodies.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo declared three days of mourning and deployed the country’s army and disaster agency to assist response efforts.

“I stand in solidarity with the families of the victims who today woke up to heartbreaking news. Their pain is my pain,” Arevalo said on social media.

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