La Paz: A head-on collision between a truck and a passenger bus on a highway in the Bolivian Andes on Saturday left 16 dead and 14 injured, police said.
“So far there have been 16 dead and 14 injured people who have already been taken to the hospital,” said traffic officer Nilo Torrico, adding that the drivers of both vehicles were dead.
The accident happened on the road between the Bolivian city of Patacamaya and the city of Tambo Quemado in northern Chile, Torrico told the Unitel channel.
The bus was heading to Chile along a busy trade and tourist route connecting the two South American countries.
An initial investigation showed the truck crossed into the opposite direction while trying to pass the vehicle, Torrico said.
“This truck made a prohibited maneuver and as a result we have this unfortunate accident,” he said.
Images of the accident shared by Unitel showed a bus with a smashed front end and a mangled truck. Some bodies were seen on the road.
First responders worked to remove bodies trapped in the wrecked vehicles, Torrico said.
Bolivia records about 1,400 traffic deaths each year, government statistics show. Bad driving and mechanical faults are mainly responsible for accidents. Fourteen people died and two were injured in a collision on a busy road in southwestern Bolivia on April 4.
