SIX children died and over a dozen were injured yesterday after their school bus rolled down a cliff in northeastern Colombia, a regional official said.

“Unfortunately I have to confirm (the) school bus accident on the Laguna de Ortices-San Andres road, where six minors died and there are more than 15 injured,” tweeted Mauricio Aguilar, governor of the mountainous Santander department, where the tragedy occurred.

The students had left a rural school and were on their way back to the town centre of San Andres when the bus went off the road, said Mayor Jose Rosember Rojas, without adding further details into the cause of the accident.

Images published by Colombian media show the bus in a steep wooded area with its roof detached and several dislodged seats. 

Traffic accidents are one of the main causes of death in Colombia. Last year, the country of 50 million experienced 7,200 road deaths. – AFP, March 23, 2022.