Deadly Holiday Highway Crashes Kill Dozens in Brazil and Guatemala

Overview

• Guatemala’s emergency services confirmed 15 dead and about 20 injured after a passenger bus plunged roughly 75 meters off the Interamericana in Totonicapán, with the transport authority saying the vehicle had a temporary license and mandatory insurance.
• On Brazil’s BR-101 in Mucuri, Bahia, 11 people died after a Doblô minivan crossed into the opposite lane and hit a Chevrolet S10 head-on, igniting both vehicles and closing the highway until early afternoon.
• Forensic officials said several Mucuri victims were carbonized, requiring papilloscopy, odontological comparison and DNA testing; eight occupants of the minivan were from Itabatã bound for Costa Dourada, and three victims in the pickup were identified as Olivio Salezze, Irene Bermond Salezze and Augusto Salezze Netto from Linhares, ES.
• Authorities detailed parallel crashes across Brazilian highways, including two deaths on CE-178 in Ceará, one on BR-324 near Amélia Rodrigues after a horse strike, two on SE-160 in Sergipe in a rear-end collision, one on SP-300 in São Manuel, and two on BR-163 in Nova Mutum.
• Police and road agencies reported ongoing inquiries into contributing factors such as wrong-way entry, animal hazards and risky maneuvers, with multi-agency teams handling rescues, scene safety and hospital transfers.