Chepo Panama: Fatal Rollover Involving a Bus Crash Filled With Passengers

Panama: Two people dead, another 31 with minor injuries and 5 in critical condition – is the official result of a serious traffic accident that occurred around 11:00 a.m. Thursday, on the Pan-American Highway, shortly after entering the town of Unión de Azuero, near Hacienda Tanara, in Chepo, according to Colonel Ángel Delgado, national director of Related Disasters of the Fire Department.  Preliminary information indicates that the driver of a refrigerator-type bus on the Chepo-Corredor route, license plates 8B 1991 and BE 4283, lost control of the steering wheel after the bus allegedly suffered mechanical failure, causing it to overturn, skid several meters, and end up on its side on the side of the road. 

Apparently, one of the deceased is a man, and the other is a woman. She was ejected from the bus during the crash, and the vehicle ran over her, almost burying her in the green area. A baby is also reported to have lost a leg. The death toll is likely to rise in the coming hours, as an investigation is underway to determine whether another person on the bus may have died.  About 60 units from the Fire Department, the National Border Service (SENAFRONT), the Red Cross, and paramedics from the Single Emergency Medical Management System (Sume 911) arrived at the scene to assist the victims. 

The most seriously injured were transferred to the Chepo Regional Hospital where they are being treated in the hallways because the emergency room is being remodeled and to the Irma de Lourdes Tzanetatos Hospital, since some lost limbs, while people who had bumps and scrapes were referred to nearby health centers.  Blood donations are being requested for the most seriously ill victims, who will require surgery.  The accident caused severe traffic jams on the Pan-American Highway, as National Police Traffic units closed the area to traffic.