Bus accident kills 12 in Chile

SANTIAGO, Chile – A bus carrying cruise ship tourists plunged off a highway in northern Chile and tumbled 300 feet down a mountainside Wednesday, killing 12 Americans, U.S. and Chilean officials said.

Two other U.S. tourists and two Chileans – the driver and the tour guide – were hospitalized in serious condition, said Juan Carlos Poli, a city spokesman in the Pacific port of Arica.

The tourists were returning to Celebrity Cruises’ ship Millennium from an excursion to Lauca National Park when the driver swerved to avoid an approaching truck on a rugged highway near Arica, 1,250 miles north of Santiago, he said.

The bus went off the narrow highway and tumbled down a steep mountainside. Poli said the bus, which had a capacity of 16 passengers, “was totally destroyed.”

“We have confirmed that all the victims were American citizens,” Poli said.

U.S. Embassy spokesman John Vance also confirmed the 12 U.S. deaths and said the embassy was sending consular officers to Arica.

The Millennium was docked in Arica, and the cruise line said the ship will remain there until further notice. It had been scheduled to leave for Peru early today. The ship was carrying approximately 1,500 guests and 920 crew members.