Mexico Bus Accident Leaves 32 Dead, Including 9 Children
At least 32 people were killed in a bus accident, including nine children, in Mexico on Sunday.
The accident occurred just before 1 p.m. during heavy rains in the southwestern state of Guerrero when a passenger bus turned over in a wet road and fell 983 feet into a ravine. The passenger vehicle's brakes gave out causing the bus to skid off the road, according to a statement released by the Guerrero state government.
The bus was carrying supporters to a political rally in the town of Buenavisa de Cuellar. Mexico's Democratic Revolution Party, which is working in a coalition along with the Labor Party and the Convergence party for upcoming presidential elections, released a statement offering condolences to those supporters whose family members were lost in the accident. The political parties also appealed to the local government to recover and return the bodies of those lost to their families as soon as possible.
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At least 22 people were injured in the accident as well and seven people were considered to be in critical condition, according to Reuters.
Mexico is slated for presidential elections on July 1 and the political supporters in the bus were headed to Buenavisa de Cuellar to show support for leftist presidential hopeful Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Incumbent president Felipe Calderon narrowly defeated the presidential hopeful, whose campaign slogan was "first the poor," in 2006 elections. Lopez Obrador protested the narrow win leading week-long street demonstrations in Mexico City following the loss, but has since has softened his image and is attempting to appeal to Mexico's upper and middle class population.
