31 children burnt to death in Colombia bus accident
Another 25 people - including one adult - were injured and seriously burned in the accident near the town of Fundacion, Cesar Uruena with the Colombian Red Cross told AFP.
"The injured have second and third-degree burns, and many are still in a critical condition" in hospitals in the area and in the city of Santa Marta, Urena said.
The children aboard the bus were between the ages of one and eight and were returning home after a religious service, Fundacion Mayor Luz Stella Duran told reporters.
Department
of
Magdalena
police
told
AFP
that
the
bus
exploded
around
noon,
and
that
the
fire
was
so
severe
they
had
problems
determining
the
number
of
casualties.
Stella
Duran
said
that
-
according
to
survivors
-
the
bus
driver
had
been
handling
a
container
with
gasoline
aboard
the
vehicle.
Police
initially
blamed
the
fire
on
a
mechanical
problem.
The
driver
has
vanished,
and
angry
locals
went
to
his
home
and
threw
rocks
at
his
windows,
the
mayor
said.
Colombian
President
Juan
Manuel
Santos
traveled
to
Fundacion
after
a
final
re-election
campaign
rally
on
Monday
in
Bogota
ahead
of
the
May
25
presidential
vote.
PTI