This Monday, December 2, 2024 in the morning, the human toll of the Porté-Puymorens bus accident remains provisional with 2 deaths, 10 people in absolute emergency and 32 injured in relative emergency. The bus, which was carrying a majority of Colombian nationals, was returning from Pas de la Casa to return near Barcelona when it hit the cliff.
The day after the bus accident, which occurred on national road 320 near Porté-Puymorens, the provisional human toll is still at least 2 deaths, 10 people in absolute emergency and 32 injured in relative emergency. Three passengers were spared or very slightly injured. A total of 47 people were on the bus, including the bus driver who suffered a crushed rib cage. Among the most seriously injured is a very young child aged 4, confirms the Pyrénées-Orientales prefecture in The Independent, this Monday morning.
The most seriously injured victims were evacuated to hospital centers in Perpignan, Toulouse, Foix and Puigcerdà. 31 passengers are supported in this Catalan emergency service.
Bus driver could be heard from by tomorrow
An investigation was opened by the gendarmerie to determine the exact causes of the accident. According to information from The Independentthe bus driver still could not be heard by the police this Monday before noon. But, he might be able to answer the military's questions “during the day or even by tomorrow”.
The carcass of the machine was removed from national road 320 early Monday morning. It is currently being assessed in the Pyrénées-Orientales territory.
The gendarmerie also opened a cell to identify all the victims. Given the seriousness of their injuries, several injured people were transported very quickly to various hospitals, particularly by air. An emergency which slowed down the identification of all the passengers.
The passengers were returning from Pas-de-la-Case
According to witnesses and survivors, the bus would have “rubbed the barrier for more than 1.5 km as if he wanted to lose speed, before crashing into the cliff“. According to the first confidences of certain passengers spared by the shock, collected by L'Indépendant, the driver would even have “everything done to slow down the bus“.
The vehicle was carrying on board a majority of Colombian nationals who lived in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, in the province of Barcelona, the Pyrénées-Orientales prefecture confirms to L'Indépendant. They had spent the day in Pas de la Casa, Andorra, and were returning to southern Catalonia. State services are in contact with the embassies of Colombia, Spain but also Morocco and Ecuador, because a national of these two countries was also in the machine.
More information to come.
