Two American tourists were killed when their Belize tour bus crashed in Belize on Nov 27, according to multiple reports. Five others were injured in the accident.
Jacqueline Abad, a 53-old, and Sara Armijo, a 51-year-old were on a Carnival Cruise Line ship Carnival Vista to Belize. They along with 5 others had disembarked and taken an independent tour. They were traveling to Belmopan city in a Dodge passenger van, according to Miami Herald. PEOPLE reported that the van crashed into a red Chevrolet SUV, and Abad and Armijo were dead following the accident.
The five other Americans, were also guests of the Carnival cruise, according to PEOPLE. As a result of the crash, they suffered from injuries including broken legs and arms, cuts, pelvic fractures, as well as dislocated knee caps.
“Sadly, two of our guests have died and the five others who were injured will continue their medical care in [the] U.S. Our Carnival CareTeam and medical staff are supporting guests and their families,” according to a statement made by the Carnival cruise, according to PEOPLE.
The passengers on the SUV also died following the accident, according to PEOPLE, and Miami Herald reported that it was the driver of the SUV who was at fault for causing the accident. According to Miami Herald, the SUV was trying to overtake in the lane that the oncoming van with the American tourists was in. This resulted in the head-on collision between the two vehicles.
The Belize Tourism Board had issued a statement on its Facebook in a post, writing, “We express our deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of Belizeans and tourists who perished, and we pray for a quick recovery for those who were injured in the accident. May God give them strength, peace, and comfort.”
The U.S. Department of State had also issued a statement, according to PEOPLE. One of the spokespeople for the department stated, “we are aware of U.S. citizen casualties resulting from the traffic accident on George Price Highway in Belize. We are providing all appropriate consular assistance and are monitoring the local authorities’ investigation. We extend our sincerest condolences to families of those lost in the accident. Out of consideration for those involved, we have no further information at this time.”
According to PEOPLE, the guests who had died in the crash were on a seven-day cruise on the Carnival Vista, one of the Carnival Cruise line ships. The seven-day cruise started out from Galveston, Texas, on Nov. 23, and was due back in Galveston on Nov. 30.
