Six people have died after a bus fell from a bridge into a rising river in northwestern Spain late on Christmas Eve.
Two survivors, the bus driver and a female passenger, were rescued from the Lérez River in Galicia and taken to hospitals, authorities said Sunday. Police said the driver tested negative for alcohol and drugs.
The first call to emergency services was from a passing motorist who noticed that part of the guardrail on the highway between the cities of Lugo and Vigo had been destroyed. Amid the darkness and heavy rain, the caller could not make out any vehicles in the river, about 40 meters below the bridge, but said the damage to the railing appeared to be recent.
Shortly after, a call came in from inside the vehicle that had skidded off the road, during which an occupant told emergency services that the bus had plunged into the river and was ” filling with water”, reported El País.
Rescuers raced to the scene, battling heavy rain and strong currents to reach the bus. The search was suspended for hours after the river exceeded its overflow threshold in the early hours of the morning.
On Sunday, the leader of the Galicia region, Alfonso Rueda, told reporters that search and rescue efforts had been helped by a break in the rain. “It’s always horrible to have to talk about an accident like this, but at this time of year, it’s even more horrifying,” he said.
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Eight people, including the driver, are believed to have been on the bus. Stops along the route included a local correctional facility, and several of the passengers were reportedly returning home late Saturday after visiting loved ones who are incarcerated.