Bus accident leaves 15 dead in Guatemala and government declares 3-day national mourning period

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (AP) — An intermunicipal bus veered off a road in Guatemala and fell into a deep ravine, killing 15 passengers and injuring at least 15 others, authorities said Saturday, and declared three days of national mourning.

The accident happened Friday night outside the town of Totonicapan along a route known as the Interamerican Road. Officials said it took rescue workers more than two hours to recover the corpses from the crash site and rescue injured passengers. Fifteen people were still being treated for injuries at local hospitals.

“I profoundly regret the tragedy which happened along the Interamerican Route,” President Bernardo Arevalo said in a social media statement. “We are coordinating all necessary actions to assist those who have been affected.”

Road accidents are common in Guatemala, a mountainous country where transportation regulations are loosely enforced and where many towns and cities are connected by narrow, two lane roads.

In October, the National Transportation Safety Obervatory, a government agency, said that 446 public transportation vehicles in the country had been involved in accidents in 2025. Those accidents resulted in 111 deaths and more than 600 people injured through October.