A damaged bus is pictured after overturning on Interstate 20 in Warren County, Mississippi, early Saturday, August 31, 2024. The accident resulted in several fatalities and left dozens injured, according to the Mississippi Highway Patrol. (Photo credit: AP)
The Mississippi Highway Patrol confirmed Tuesday that the seven people who lost their lives in a weekend bus crash in Mississippi were all from Mexico. The patrol released the names and ages of the victims: Miguel Arriaga, 61; Victor A. Garcia, 32; Moises A. Garcia, 31; Kain Gutierrez, 8; Perla Gutierrez, 16; Elia Guzman, 63; and Angelica Palomino, 16. However, their hometowns were not disclosed.
According to Warren County Coroner Doug Huskey, Kain and Perla Gutierrez were siblings.
Mexico’s foreign relations secretary, Alicia Bárcena, extended condolences to the families of the deceased and offered consular support.
The crash, which also injured approximately three dozen people, is currently under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Mississippi Highway Patrol, and the Mississippi Commercial Transportation Enforcement Division.
The bus involved, a 2018 Volvo operated by Autobuses Regiomontanos, was traveling westbound on Interstate 20 from Atlanta to Dallas with 41 passengers and two drivers when a left front tire failed. The bus veered off the road and overturned on its left side near Bovina, close to Vicksburg, Mississippi, early Saturday morning. No other vehicles were involved.
Six victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while a seventh died later at a hospital. Thirty-six other passengers were transported by ambulance to local hospitals.
NTSB member Todd Inman stated that investigators will examine the bus’s condition, including the maintenance of its tires, as well as road conditions, the driver’s experience, the carrier’s safety record, and the safety measures in place for passengers. The NTSB expects to release a preliminary report within 30 days, with the full investigation potentially taking up to two years.
Autobuses Regiomontanos, which has been in operation for 20 years, provides cross-border trips between 100 destinations in Mexico and the U.S. The company’s website promotes a “modern fleet of buses that receive daily maintenance” and offers “special price” trips for workers.