Express Bus Plunges Off Colombia Mountain Highway, Dozens Feared Dead, Rescue Teams Search Deep Ravine

Bogota, Colombia— An express passenger bus broke through a guardrail and plunged off a mountain highway overpass late Thursday morning, dropping more than 80 meters into a rocky ravine and killing at least 18 people.

The bus was traveling the La Linea corridor between Armenia and Ibague, a steep, fog-prone stretch notorious for accidents. It was carrying 38 passengers, according to the transport company. Around 10:15 a.m., witnesses said the bus was descending fast, swaying in its lane, before it hit the outer barrier on a tight curve. The barrier gave way.

The vehicle rolled twice before landing on its roof in the Quindio River gorge. The sound was heard a kilometer away. Drivers who stopped said they saw luggage and metal scattered down the slope. One truck driver who ran down said, "People were screaming inside, the bus was crushed, we could not open the doors."

Colombia's National Risk Management unit deployed rope teams and two helicopters. The slope is nearly vertical, wet, and unstable. Rescuers had to anchor themselves to trees to reach the wreck. By 2 p.m., they had pulled 12 survivors, several with critical injuries. Bodies were carried up in baskets.

El Tiempo reported that preliminary police notes mention possible brake overheating. The bus was a 2018 model operating on a long-distance route from Cali to Bogota. Its technical inspection was valid until December, records show. The driver, who died in the crash, had 14 years of experience on Andean routes.

Families gathered at the Armenia bus terminal, waiting for names. Officials said identification would take hours. The local hospital declared a mass casualty alert and called in extra surgeons. Blood donations were requested over local radio.

The La Linea highway was closed in both directions. The road agency said the overpass where the bus left the roadway had been resurfaced in March, but the guardrails were the old steel type, not the newer concrete barriers installed elsewhere on the route. An engineer said those older rails often fail under heavy bus impact.

This corridor has seen at least four fatal bus accidents since 2023. Truckers call it the white-knuckle pass. Fog, rain, and brake fade on long descents make it lethal. Enforcement is thin.

Nightfall complicated the recovery. Crews brought in floodlights and prepared to work through the evening to extract the remaining trapped passengers. Investigators have not yet reached the black box.