AT least 15 people were killed and 19 others injured when a passenger bus plunged into a ravine on the Inter-American Highway in Guatemala.
Rescue workers battled to pull survivors from the wreckage after the crash in an area known as “Alaska Peak” because of its rugged terrain.
The region is also notorious for dense fog, which can severely reduce visibility for drivers.
Local fire department spokesperson Leandro Amado said the victims included 11 men, three women and a minor.
He added that around 19 injured passengers were taken to nearby hospitals.
According to Amado, the bus was travelling from Guatemala City to San Marcos when it veered off the road and fell about 250ft metres into the ravine.
The cause of the accident remains unknown.
Early on Saturday morning, the fire department shared images on social media showing the scale of the crash, with firefighters working to rescue people from the wreckage.
Relatives of passengers later arrived at the scene and at nearby hospitals, searching for loved ones.
Deadly road accidents are commonplace in South America.
In February, another passenger bus fell into a ravine at the northern entrance to Guatemala City, killing 54 people.
The bus was crossing the Belize Bridge in Zone Six of the capital when it crashed.
Images shared online showed the bus overturned and partially submerged in water.
Emergency crews worked through the night to rescue survivors.
President Bernardo Arevalo described the latest tragedy as a “national pain,” writing on X that he stood “in solidarity with the families of the victims who today woke up to heart-breaking news.”
Back across the border in Mexico, eight people were killed and 19 others injured in a horror bus crash on Christmas Eve.
The packed coach plunged more than 600ft down an embankment in the municipality of Zontecomatlan, in the eastern state of Veracruz.
Harrowing images from the scene showed the bus lying on its roof at the bottom of the ravine.
Local residents were among the first to help victims before emergency crews, civil protection teams, paramedics and security forces arrived.
The bus, operated by the Conexión line, had left Mexico City and was travelling to the town of Chicontepec in Veracruz’s Huasteca region.
This is an area known for its mountains, rivers and tropical landscapes.
It was full at the time of the crash, with many passengers believed to be travelling home for Christmas.
