Three fatalities and more than 20 injuries were reported following the crash of a bus carrying a youth folkdance troupe and family members from the Chapala pueblo of Atotonilquillo.
The accident occurred Sunday, May 5, around 6 p.m. on the Tuxcueca-Teocuitatlán de Corona highway, as the Danza Atototzin group was returning home following a performance in Concepción de Buenos Aires, located some 20 km south of Lake Chapala.
The driver of the privately operated bus and an adult female passenger were pronounced dead at the scene. An 11-year-old girl who was rushed to a Guadalajara hospital by helicopter died the following day. Other injured parties received emergency treatment at Jocotepec’s Cruz Verde clinic and medical facilities in the metro area.
The right side of the bus was crushed when it collided with the steep rock face bordering the roadway. The cause of the tragic accident is under investigation. Several passengers indicated that the driver shouted out that the brakes were failing just prior to the crash.