MEXICO CITY — At least 12 people died when a bus carrying cruise ship passengers flipped over on a highway in the southeastern part of Yucatan Peninsula early Tuesday, officials said.
Quintana Roo state Civil Defense spokesman Vicente Martin said. Eighteen people, including seven Americans and two Swedes, were injured and transferred to four hospitals, and five of those passengers have been discharged.
The bus, which belonged to Costa Maya Port, crashed at Kilometer 5 of the Mahahual-Cafetal highway.
Video images from the scene showed the bus on its side in vegetation off the two-lane highway, with some survivors lying on the pavement and others walking around.
#BREAKING Close to a dozen tourists from #PortMiami and #PortEverglades #cruise ships killed in bus crash near #Cancun #Mexico @Telemundo51 @YunieskyT51 pic.twitter.com/kdX1KqWVuq
— JRodriguez (@JRodzMIA) December 19, 2017
Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises tweeted that guests from two of its ships, the Celebrity Equinox and Serenade of the Seas, were involved in the crash. The company expressed its sympathies and said it was assisting with medical care and transportation.
The news from Costa Maya about a bus accident involving #CelebrityEquinox & #SerenadeoftheSeas guests is heartbreaking. Our hearts go out to all those involved. We are doing all we can to care for our guests, including assisting with medical care and transportation.
— RCLcorp (@RCLcorp) December 19, 2017
A tour guide and driver were among those on board, the Costa Maya port said in a statement.
