Panama roads “Paths of self destruction”
PANAMA’S ROADS have become paths of self-destruction said Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa on Sunday October 23.
He was speaking at an early morning mass to mark the 10th anniversary of the La Cresta bus fire, which incinerated 18 people and scarred more passengers for life
The mass was attended by relatives of the victims.
In the homily, the Archbishop recalled that incidents involving public transport continued to cause deaths and serious injuries since the bus fire.
“The situation is made worse by the poor state of the streets, vehicular congestion, recklessness and the endless hours spent waiting for public transport” said Ulloa.
Transport crisis
“This is a day for national reflection so that we can all shoulder our responsibilities,” he said. “The crisis in the transit system deserves special attention.”
Julio González, director of the transit agency ATTT, said the day represents a call to society as a whole so that traffic accidents can be reduced.
There have been 500 deaths so far this year.
Gonzalwz stressed that the public transport system is a “work in progress” and that significant steps have been taken.
The mass was the first of a series of events marking the day of horror when passengers fought to get out of a bus with flames generating temperatures of 400 degrees Celsius.