An excursion of students and their teachers ended in tragedy on Saturday when their bus crashed in western Colombia, killing at least 10 people and wounding 11, said its university.
The bus driver lost control of the vehicle, as it transported 26 Tolima to Quindio passengers, according to preliminary investigation.
Several people were thrown from the bus when they crashed into the barrier on the side of the Helicoil bridge in the Quindio region, police commander Luis Fernando Atuesta said.
“Several passengers were expelled and fell into the abyss,” said the officer, added that the investigations were underway to “establish the conditions of this unfortunate accident.”
The University of Humboldt in the Colombian city of Armenia said in a statement that he was declaring two days of mourning after “the painful loss of several of our colleagues, students, teachers and administrators” in the accident.
The bus carried “22 students, two teachers and a communications officer,” said University Director Diego Fernando Jaramillo López in a video.
Traffic accidents are one of the main causes of death in Colombia, which averaged 22 traffic deaths per day in 2024, according to the National Highway Authority.
