Tragic Christmas Eve in Spain: At least six people died in a bus accident in Galicia in the northwest of the country. After the vehicle fell into the Lérez River late Saturday evening, it was still unclear on Sunday whether a passenger was still missing. The driver (63) and a passenger were rescued alive shortly after the accident on Saturday. Two bodies were recovered on Saturday and the remaining four on Sunday, according to the Spanish emergency service. Initially, no information was given on the identity of the victims. The cause of the accident was also still unclear.
The bus was traveling on the N-541 road from Vigo to Lugo when, around 9.30 p.m., it fell from a bridge about 40 meters into the river near the municipality of Pedre. According to various sources, there were eight or nine people on board. The emergency service spoke of a total of eight inmates, but the media reported nine, citing eyewitnesses.
The rescue and salvage work was very difficult on Sunday night, as spokesmen for the police, fire brigade and regional government emphasized. After the fall, the bus was in a hard-to-reach place and was almost completely covered by water. The rescue teams had to abseil from the bridge in the dark to get to the vehicle. The mission on Sunday was still hampered by the strong current and bad weather with lots of rain, it said.
