A bus hits a mountain-side in Tachira, which is a western Venezuelan state, taking the lives of at least nine people on board while injuring up to thirty five people. The accident took place on the seventh of August, 2013 on Tuesday on the highway.
The highway plays the stage for yet another calamity after the mayhem caused by a major accident by a bus and truck collision just last week. Fourteen people died as a result of this accident in the Central State of Guarico. This is yet another major accident with such a great number of victims in the past week in Venezuela. It, however, is a greater and more severe tragedy than the latter.
Shortly after the accident, the state television had a small conversation with the national director of emergency services. Said Director Luis Diaz Curbelo, “We have declared up to thirty five people injured while nine are declared dead for now.”
The tragic incident took place in the Chururu sector somewhere along the Troncal 5 highway, the director said. It took place in Venezuela right in the middle of the vacation season, he added further.
Among those who died was the bus driver himself. According to the director, the investigations into the causes of the bus crash are being carried out as to find out the real reason behind the tragic disaster. Relevant authorities are looking into the possible reasons that lead to the crash, which caused the loss of the bus driver`s life. The most probable cause for the bus crash however, according to Curbelo was an unexpected failure in mechanics of the vehicle.
“Quite predictably, the driver crashed into the hill as he lost control,” he said.
The bus that was in the accident was owned by Expresos Los Llanos. It had left Upata, a town located in the Bolivar, the southern state.
Following these calamities, an emergency state was announced on the country’s roads for 90 days. The Venezuelan government said it was “crucial” that measures be taken as soon as possible to improve the structure of the highways of the state which have depreciated in recent years when no heed was paid to the maintenance and care of the roadways. If the matter was ignored further, facing such tragedies every now and then would be inevitable, they said.