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Seventeen people were killed and 20 others injured after a bus carrying schoolchildren fell off a cliff in a rural area of northern Colombia, local authorities reported on Sunday night, December 14.
The governor of Antioquia, Andrés Julián Rendón, said the bus was traveling from the Caribbean town of Tolú to Medellín following a school trip. The students, aged 16 to 18, were from Antioqueño High School and had been celebrating their graduation on the beach. “It’s very hard news for the entire community during the time of December,” Rendón said.
Officials reported that the bus plunged approximately 40 meters (about 131 feet). The steep and hazardous terrain required rescuers to transport survivors on stretchers.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation. The National Road Safety Agency has launched a probe into why the bus, carrying around 40 passengers, veered off the road. Local media have suggested that the driver, identified as Johnatan Taborda Cocacolo, may have experienced a “microsleep.”
Authorities also noted that the crash occurred in an area where the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group remains active. Firefighters and security personnel had to take extra precautions during rescue operations. The ELN had previously warned civilians to avoid commercial travel for 72 hours while conducting military exercises.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro expressed his condolences on X, saying, “I don’t like it when young people die. Even less when they’re going to study or to relax happily.” The tragedy comes amid reports from road authorities that Colombia has averaged 22 traffic-related deaths per day in 2024.
