A bus traveling between Villazón and Tarija plunged off a cliff and into a ravine near the Sama crest yesterday, killing 28 people, among them 2 babies. According to some of the survivors, the accident was caused by human error as the Copamoya busline driver was speeding.

The bus left Villazón, at the border of Argentina, at 10:00 a.m. and its estimated arrival time in the city of Tarija was 4:00 p.m. The accident occurred at 1:00 p.m.

According to information given to El Nuevo Sur newspaper by the bus company, the accident was caused by poor road conditions. This, in addition to snowfall on Saturday in the Tarija area, allegedly worsened road conditions and caused reduced visibility. El Nuevo Sur contacted various firefighters who, upon arrival, indicated the road was dry, there was no fog at 1:00 p.m. and the sun was shining.

The Copamoya bus company has caused several accidents. The most of remembered of these occurred two years ago when 16 people from two athletic delegations died near the same area. Last week senators from Tarija appealed to the Ministry of Public World because the highway was to have been completed two years ago.

Source: El Deber Date: 27 June 2011 Read this article in Spanish