GUATEMALA CITY: A truck crashed into a crowd of people in western Guatemala Wednesday evening, killing at least 32 people, authorities said.Guatemala President Jimmy Morales said his government would co-ordinate aid to the families of the victims.
The accident occurred at the entry point to the western town of Nahuala, which has a population of around 65,000, the majority of whom are K’iche’ Maya.
The crash killed at least 32 people, and another nine people are in a critical condition, public health minister Carlos Soto told local media.The fate of the truck driver is not yet known.
The truck hit the group after they walked out onto a dark road to investigate a separate fatal car crash on the Pan-American highway in Nahuala, Solola, on Wednesday night.
The crash marked one of the country’s worst traffic accidents in recent years. In 2013, a bus plunged off a cliff in rural Guatemala, killing at least 43 people and injuring dozens.
Graphic videos shared on social media showed the aftermath of the collision, with bodies strewn across the road and pools of blood in the street.
Emergency services sent 10 ambulances to the scene.Pictures posted on social media showed local villagers helping rescuers and the walking wounded.
