Americans Among 12 Killed in Mexico Tour Bus Crash

CNN reports eight Americans were among the 12 people killed in a tour bus crash that occurred in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Tuesday. An additional 10 people were injured.

Details of the Mexico Tour Bus Crash

The bus was traveling from the coastal village of Mahahual to the Mayan archeological site Chacchoben when it crashed. The bus was left on its side in a wooded are off the roadway.

31 people were on the bus when the accident occurred, including tourists from the U.S., Canada, Italy, Brazil, and Sweden. 27 of the bus passengers were cruise guests from two Royal Caribbean ships.

Of the 13 passengers injured, two were from Sweden, three were from Canada, four were from Brazil, and four were from the United States. The two Swedish victims were transferred to the U.S. At least one child was killed in the crash though the child’s nationality was not immediately available.

While it is unclear what led the crash, reports indicate that the bus driver has been arrested.

Bus Accident Statistics

The following information was provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation:

• There were 4,311 large trucks and buses were involved in fatal crashes in 2015, which was an 8 percent increase from the previous year.
• From 2005 to 2015, intercity buses accounted for 13 percent, and school buses and transit buses accounted for 41 percent and 33 percent, respectively, for all buses involved in crashes that were fatal.
• Between 2014 and 2015, the number of buses involved in crashes that caused fatalities increased from 236 to 261, which is an increase of 11 percent.