At least eight people died and eight others were injured when a bus collided head-on with a tanker truck on a major highway in western Honduras on Sunday. The crash happened around 5 p.m. April 5 on the CA-4 highway in the community of La Ceibita, Quimistán municipality, Santa Bárbara department, about 170 kilometers northwest of Tegucigalpa.
The bus was returning from an excursion in Antigua, Guatemala, when it struck the tanker truck, officials said. Darwin Hernández, head of the Traffic Accident Investigation Section, said eight Hondurans lost their lives and eight more were injured. Honduras’ director of roads and transportation, Commissioner Lenin Andino, told reporters that both drivers died along with six passengers from the bus.
The tanker truck carried cyanide, Andino and Hernández said. Authorities secured the area, evacuated people who had gathered at the scene and halted traffic in both directions because of the hazardous load. Rescue crews worked through Sunday night to remove the overturned tanker and free passengers still trapped inside the bus.
The collision occurred on a stretch of the CA-4 where traffic has been heavy during the Easter holiday period. The bus provided tourist service and carried passengers from the Guatemala trip. Officials identified the bus driver as Javier Deras and the truck driver as Ever Fajardo, both of whom died at the scene.
Specialized teams from the national port authority were called in to handle the cyanide container safely. Coordination with the Pan American Health Organization began immediately to manage any potential chemical risks. Traffic was diverted onto secondary roads near La Ceibita while crews cleared the wreckage. Investigation teams from the Traffic Accident Investigation Section remained at the site Sunday night gathering evidence.
The crash is the latest in a series of serious accidents reported on the CA-4 corridor during high-travel periods. Authorities plan to release a preliminary investigation report Monday morning in Quimistán.
