Off The Record

A Bus Plunges 1,600 Feet Down A Ravine In A Terrifying Crash, Leaving At Least 31 People Dead

Published on March 5, 2025

On Monday, a bus and an SUV crashed on a highway in southern Bolivia, killing at least 31 people.

The truck driver was among the 22 persons hurt in the collision, which sent the bus plunging down a 1,600-foot-deep gully in Potosí.

Phillip Martilano Flores, age 11, was the youngest victim, according to a list made public by the Potosí Departmental Police.

The Challapata Fleet-owned bus crashed headlong into the SUV after leaving Orubu and heading to a station in Potosí.

Grover Portillo, a 23-year-old SUV driver who was hospitalized after suffering a leg injury, was taken into custody by police.

The bus entered his lane just before the collision, according to Portillo, who has been charged by investigators with causing the accident.

“I don’t remember anything,” Portillo said, as quoted by Bolivian newspaper El Deber. “I only know that I was going this way, in my lane, the [bus] just came, it appeared suddenly, I wanted to turn and I couldn’t.”

On social media, President Luis Arce sent his sympathies to the victims.

“This unfortunate event must be investigated to establish responsibilities,” he said in a post on Facebook. “We send our most sincere condolences to the bereaved families, wishing them the necessary strength to face these difficult times.”

Days prior, two buses crashed on a road connecting the western Bolivian communities of Colchani and Uyuni, resulting in 37 fatalities and 40 injuries.

According to a preliminary analysis, the collision was caused by one of the buses encroaching into the incoming lane, most likely as a result of speeding, the Bolivian Ministry of Government stated in a statement.

One of the buses rolled over onto its side and had to be turned over by authorities using a crane.

Additionally, bodies were removed from the wreckage and taken away in wrapped blankets by first responders.