At least 33 killed after bus drives off cliff in Panama

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - At least 33 people were killed Wednesday and more than 23 injured when a bus carrying migrants to the US drive off a cliff on a Panamanian highway, according to authorities.

Edilberto Armuelles, a firefighter in the western province of Chiriqui, said the bus with 66 passengers lost control and drove into a stone path at 4:30 a.m. local time.

According to the director of the Migration Service, Samira Gozaine, the driver “missed the entrance” of a shelter and turned around but collided with another vehicle and fell down the cliff.

The injured were taken to the hospital in David, the capital of Chiriqui.

The passengers were being transferred from various shelters in Darien province, on the border with Colombia, to another shelter in Chiriqui, which borders Costa Rica, before heading to the US.

Panama receives travelers at stations where they offer health and food assistance before departing for North America.

Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo wrote about the accident on Twitter.

"It is with great sadness that I receive the news of the traffic accident in Gualaca, Chiriqui," about 400 kilometers (250 miles) west of the nation’s capital of Cortizo, The migrants "lost their lives while being transported from Darien to a shelter located in this place.”

Minister of Public Security Juan Manuel Pino said at the accident scene that more than 37,000 migrants have crossed into Panama on their way to the US since the beginning of 2023

"Last night, alone, more than 900 migrants came in," he said.

Pino said the top countries of origin for new immigrants coming to Panama are Haiti, Ecuador and Venezuela.