[from The Latin American Herald Tribune, Saturday, October 2, 2010]
14 Die in Bus Accident in Northern Argentina
BUENOS AIRES – At least 14 people, including several children, were killed and five others suffered serious injuries when a minibus collided with a truck on a highway in northern Argentina, police said Monday.
The accident happened around midnight Sunday, when the bus hit the truck on the outskirts of Villa Ocampo [Santa Fe Province], a city located about 870 kilometers (541 miles) from Buenos Aires.
The bus driver and 13 passengers, including a couple, their daughter and seven other children and teenagers were killed in the crash.
The five passengers injured in the accident were taken to a hospital in Villa Ocampo, police said.
The truck driver was not injured in the crash, but he was hospitalized for treatment of shock, precinct chief Jose Luis Leguiza told Buenos Aires radio stations.
The bus was carrying a children’s dance group that had performed at a music festival in Villa Ocampo and was returning home to the nearby town of Villa Guillermina, Leguiza said.
Investigators suspect that the truck was traveling without its lights on because there are no indications that the bus driver tried to stop to avoid the collision, Leguiza said.
Argentina, where enforcement of traffic laws and fines for violations have increased in recent years, has one of the highest traffic mortality and accident rates in the world.
An average of 20 people die each day on the South American country’s roads, non-governmental organizations say.
