An accident involving a tourist bus in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, left three people dead and at least 40 injured, including cases of amputation. According to the local newspaper Dominican Today, the vehicle was leaving the Bávaro area, a tourist area of the city, and heading towards Saona Island.
Fifty passengers from different countries, most of them Latin, were on the bus, seven of them Brazilians. There were also 14 Argentines, 11 Chileans, seven Colombians, five Peruvians and two Mexicans. A truck would have crossed the road, forcing the driver of the vehicle to make a curve that caused a rollover. However, there is a complaint that the driver was driving at high speed, which could also be the cause of the accident.
According to Dominican Today, Chilean tourist Dominique Esperanza Dreckmann, who was on the bus, said the driver was speeding when the accident occurred. According to the woman, at least four passengers who were in the vehicle suffered limb amputations.
“There were people who were mutilated, at least four lost their arms, which were stretched out on the sidewalk. There were people who didn’t even know how to speak Spanish,” he reported.
dead
According to the Argentine newspaper La Nación, the fatal victims are a 33-year-old Argentine woman and another person of Peruvian nationality. The third death has not yet had the nationality identified.
Through social networks, the Minister of Tourism of the Dominican Republic, David Collado, said that he visited the health facilities where the victims were referred to show support and solidarity.
Assistance
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Brazilian Embassy in São Domingos, reported that it “provides consular assistance to Brazilian nationals, in accordance with current international treaties and local legislation”. The agency also said that details about the case will not be shared out of respect for the victims’ right to privacy.
