Chile Bus Crash Kills 12 American Tourists

Associated Press ^ | March 22, 2006 | EDUARDO GALLARDO

[Muleteam1]

Chile Bus Crash Kills 12 American Tourists

SANTIAGO, Chile

A bus carrying cruise ship tourists plunged 300 feet down a mountainside in northern Chile Wednesday, killing 12 Americans, U.S. and Chilean officials said.

Two other Americans and two Chileans _ the driver and the tour guide _ were hospitalized in serious condition following the crash along a rugged highway near the Pacific port city of Arica, 1,250 miles north of Santiago, said Juan Carlos Poli, an Arica city hall spokesman. See rest of story here.

[Muleteam1]

It's been many years since I was in Chile, but I found this story to be sad. If you've ever been to the country, a 300' drop-off near a road bed is a small one. The bus rides were scary indeed.

[Mears]

I took a scary bus ride in Norway---I truly thought I was going to have a heart attack with the height and the hairpin turns. Never again.

I've never been to Chile but I hear it's beautiful.

God bless those poor people.

[dawn53]

I know some folks that went on that cruise. There were 14 in their group, and from the AP story, it seems there were 14 Americans on that bus...that's a little scary. I checked local papers and news websites online, but no info.

[Muleteam1]

I've never been to Norway but I would guess you are right. I learned VERY early on not to sit in the bus seats facing each other and usually mounted immediately behind the bus driver's seat. There were no seat belts so a quick turn would almost send you flying out the window on the far side.

Yes, Chile was a very beautiful country when I was there and very pro-American in the 1980s. The Andes make the Rockies look like stones in the desert.

[Muleteam1]

Uh oh! That doesn't sound good. I'm sorry but I don't have any additional information either. Prayers for your friends. Keep us informed. If I find a better story I'll let you know.

[dawn53]

Thanks, I'm hoping it wasn't them. Time will tell.

Last year when my son was with our church youth group on a missions trip to Nicaragua, I woke up one morning to read the headling "6.9 Earthquake hits Nicaragua."

I checked the coordinates of the earthquake, then checked his itinerary...the group was in a fishing village on the Pacific and the earthquake had hit right offshore.

All phones were down, there was no way to contact them, but I eventually read an AP report that said "no injuries were reported," so we breathed a sigh of relief.

Of course, a bunch of Florida kids experiencing their first earthquake was "cool" to them, but not to their anxious parents at home.

[null and void]

Please say it wasn't your last fling in Chile!

[Muleteam1]

I think earthquakes are fairly common throughout Central and South America. I slept through a small one while at Vina del Mar. I was told about it at breakfast the next morning by my co-worker.

[GOP_1900AD]

OK, where is the obligatory link to the bus plunge web site?

[Muleteam1]

Not sure if you were addressing your reply to me but, no flings in Chile for me. Work left little time for flinging. And too, my wife back in America would have greatly disapproved and would have flung me. (Fling, flang, flung?)

[Travis McGee]

I took a bus ride in Northern Norway along the winding fjords from Bjerkvik to Narvik. This was on packed ice roads, with studded tires on the bus. Unreal.

[Muleteam1]

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/03/22/D8GH0CBO6.html

[FReepaholic]

Lot of folks complain about all the safety regulations in this country, from autos to consumer products, etc.

That is, until they leave the country and visit places like Chili.

This incident made the news because of the number of casualties at one time. How many people are killed one or two at a time in countries that have lax highway safety regs, etc?

[Cuttnhorse]

Hi Nully,

Thanks for your concern...we were riding in an identical bus last week in another part of the Andes, also on a tour. I'm always nervous when I'm not driving.

I've been to this area where the accident occured...the roads are actually in good condition. The big problem everywhere in South America is they don't believe in guard rails or safety berms...this causes a lot of the really bad fatalities.

We're out of here a week from today.

Cheers

[Cuttnhorse]

In Chile, not Chili, the accident rates are comprable with the USA...they have very good roads and good police enforcement. Chilean drivers are another story...they tend to think they are invensible, but this usually causes a lot of fender-bender wrecks in the populated areas. On the highways they have idiot drivers just like the US.

Cheers from La Serena, Chile

[Paul C. Jesup]

I just saw this on Fox News, the bus driver survived and stated than an oncoming truck ran them off the road.

[bwteim]

Embedded in
http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/696760/posts?page=6#6

[chilepepper]

get a life (and learn to spell CHILE). the bus that crashed was a brand new mercedes mini-van - look at the pictures.

[null and void]

Thanks. Say Hi! as you go by...

[Muleteam1]

Hi Cuttnhorse,

Since you are down in Chile, I just wondered how the U.S./Chilean relationship is nowadays? I was last in Chile in the early 1980s (working) and the country was very pro-American back then. I've thought about going back down next year but this time with my wife who has only heard me speak of the incredible beauty of the country.

Muleteam1