18 Dead after Truck Slams into Crowd in Guatemala

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A large truck slammed into a crowd gathered on a dark highway in western Guatemala, killing 18 people and leaving bodies scattered on the roadway, firefighters said Thursday. Health Minister Carlos Soto said that 18 others, including children, were injured and taken to hospitals around the municipality of Nahuala, in Solola province. Local fire department spokesman Cecilio Chacaj said people were apparently gathered on the highway after a person was killed in a separate accident, when the semi-trailer plowed into them late Wednesday. A body is carried by rescue personnel after a highway accident in Nahuala, Guatemala, early Thursday, March 28, 2019. A large truck slammed into a crowd gathered on a dark highway in western Guatemala, killing over a dozen people and leaving bodies scattered on the roadway, firefighters said. (AP Photo/Sandra Sebastian) Chacaj said that confusion during the early response to the accident had led his department to erroneously count the casualties. "With the confusion, people initially said 30, even more, dead, but once we cordoned off the area we were able to count the bodies properly," Chacaj said. A video circulating on social media showed bodies strewn on the roadway while several people cry and shout for help. Photos showed bloodstains, shoes and other debris on the asphalt amid yellow police tape. Yellow police tape and shoes lay on the ground in the place where an accident occurred, in Nahuala, Guatemala, ...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: International Major Incidents News Mass Casualty Incidents Source Type: news