Guatemala crash: At least 18 killed after truck ploughs into group of people

Crowd had gathered in road to investigate after someone was killed in separate car crash

At least 18 people were killed when a truck hit a crowd of people in Guatemala on 27 March 2019 (Reuters)

At least 18 people have been killed after a truck ploughed into a crowd of people in Guatemala.

People were apparently gathered on the Pan-American highway in Nahuala, Solola, ​after a person was killed in a previous accident, when the vehicle mowed them down.

Cecilio Chacaj, a spokesman for the volunteer firefighters, said casualties were originally presumed to be higher.

“With the confusion, people initially said 30, even more, dead, but once we cordoned off the area we were able to count the bodies properly,” said Chacaj.

A video circulating on social media shows bodies strewn on the roadway while several people cry and shout for help.

The truck hit the group after they walked out onto a dark road to investigate a separate fatal car crash on the motoroway on Wednesday night.

Nine people were also taken to hospital in a critical condition, public health minister Carlos Soto told local radio.

Spokesman Chacaj said: “It seems that the semi-trailer did not notice the number of the people on the roadway and ran them over.” The truck was reportedly travelling without its headlights on.

President Jimmy Morales gave his “heartfelt condolences” to the families of the victims.

He wrote on Twitter: “At this time we are coordinating our response to bring full support to the relatives of the victims.”

The government of Guatemala has announced three days of national mourning for the victims.

In a statement, it said it was bringing “medical assistance to the wounded who have been transferred to hospitals in the western region”.

The crash marked one of the country’s worst traffic accidents in recent years.

In 2013, a bus plunged off a cliff in rural Guatemala, killing at least 43 people and injuring dozens.

Agencies contributed to this report