11 Killed When Trailer Slams Into Minibus In Southern Chile

[News_Editor]

11 killed when trailer slams into minibus in southern Chile < br />

2012-07-05 23:08:45 GMT+7 (ICT)

CAÑETE, CHILE (BNO NEWS) -- Eleven people were killed on late Wednesday morning when the trailer of a lumber truck decoupled and slammed into an oncoming passenger minibus in southern Chile, local authorities said on Thursday. Fifteen others were injured.

The accident occurred at around 11:40 a.m. local time on the Lanalhue Bridge, which connects Cañete and Tirua in the province of Arauco, located in the Bio-Bio Region of the country. It happened when the trailer of a cargo truck carrying lumber decoupled, veered onto the other lane and slammed into the minibus.

Arauco Governor Flor Weisse initially said ten people were killed, but police later confirmed the death toll had risen to eleven. Among those killed were four men, including the bus driver, five women and two children. At least fifteen others were injured and transported to the nearby Cañete Hospital, where some remained in a critical condition.

The passenger minibus was operated by Hanga Roa, which provides a shuttle service between Cañete and Tirua.

In November 2010, nineteen people were killed and twenty others were seriously injured when a truck collided head-on with a bus near Santiago in central Chile. The collision happened when the bus suddenly attempted to stop and made an evasive maneuver, crossing into the lane for oncoming traffic. President Sebastián Piñera said at the time it was one of the worst road accidents in the country in many years.

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