Image taken with a mobile device of members of the emergency services working in the place of the collision between a bus and a tractor-trailer, in department of Zacapa , northeastern Guatemala, on Dec. 21, 2019. (Xinhua/Str)
Guatemalan authorities said 18 people died on site while another three died after they were taken to Zacapa Hospital and the Gualan Health Center. At least seven children between the ages of eight and 16 are among the deceased.
MEXICO CITY, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least 21 people have died after a bus collided with a tractor-trailer on Saturday in the northeastern department of Zacapa, Guatemala, the nation's Public Ministry announced.
According to authorities, the accident occurred in the early hours of Saturday on Kilometer 172 of the Atlantico route in the municipality of Gualan, about 168 kilometers from Guatemala City.
Guatemalan authorities said 18 people died on site while another three died after they were taken to Zacapa Hospital and the Gualan Health Center. At least seven children between the ages of eight and 16 are among the deceased.
"The drivers have been arrested and have been taken to Los Jocotes pre-trial detention center, located in the Zacapa department," the Public Ministry stated.
Emergency services brought 11 injured people to nearby hospitals after the accident, which was registered around 3:20 local time (0920GMT), and four of those people remain hospitalized, Guatemalan Public Health Minister Carlos Soto reported through his Twitter account.
According to local media, the bus was en route to Guatemala City from the city of Santa Elena in the Peten department when it collided with the tractor-trailer at a curve on the road. ■
