At least 33 killed as bus carrying migrants plunges off road into ravine in Panama

At least 33 people were killed and 23 sustained injuries in Panama after a bus transporting the migrants crashed with another minibus bound for the United States, an official familiar with the development in the Central American told the US-based agencies. Both the vehicles fell off the cliff. Panama’s national director of migration Samira Gozaine was quoted as saying by Telemetro that at least 33 people were dead in the devastating accident on Wednesday. The crash occurred in Gualaca, Chiriqui district.  

66 passengers in the bus at the time of accident 

According to the Panama police, there were 66 passengers in the bus including the driver and an assistant when it collided with the minibus some 400 kilometers west of the capital Panama City. Those who survived the accident were being administered emergency first aid. It still remains unclear exactly how many passengers were critically injured. The nationality or the origin of the victims is also unknown at this time. 

Panama President Laurentino Cortizo confirmed the deaths that occurred due to a collision between the two buses travelling on a route through the Darien Gap. The roadway connecting Colombia with Central America is known as risky as it has thick jungles on both sides. Local reports suggest that the migrants were being transported toward a shelter located in the western coastal province of Chiriqui bordering Costa Rica. 

"The Government extends its condolences to the families of those killed in this accident, and reiterates its commitment to continue providing humanitarian aid and decent conditions to deal with irregular migration," Panama's President Laurentino Cortizo said on Twitter.

Panama's Deputy Director of Migration Maria Isabel Saravia told the reporters of Panama-based press that the deadly accident occurred near the Gualaca migrant shelter. She stressed that the embassies and the kin of the victims have been notified about the tragedy. An estimated 2,48,000 migrants cross the Darien Gap each year, most of them Venezuelans, but are turned to Panama by the US Customs and Border Protection officers. Panama's foreign ministry reportedly stressed that since the beginning of 2023, nearly 32,800 immigrants have crossed the Darien Gap.