A bus carrying a group of students on a volunteer mission to help poor Hondurans crashed Wednesday as it was carrying them to the airport for their return trip, killing two New York college students and a U.S. health care worker.
The incident occurred on a highway east of Tegucigalpa, Honduras' capital. It was reportedly travelling from the town of San Juancito when it veered off the road and fell at least 260 feet into a ravine, reported the New York Daily News. Firefighter spokesman Capt. Gustavo Barahona said that the cause of the crash is unknown, but he noted that investigators believe a mechanical error played a part in it.
The deceased were identified as 21-year-old Daniella Moffson and 20-year-old Olivia Varley Erhardt, both students at Colombia University, as well as 45-year-old Abigail Flanagan, a student and nurse practitioner at Columbia University Medical Center. All three were part of a mission organized by U.S.-based Global Brigades.
"We at Global Brigades are deeply saddened by today's tragedy in Honduras. A bus carrying Columbia University students and other volunteers was involved in an accident that resulted in the deaths of two students and a licensed health care professional and several injured students," the group said in a statement, according to CNN.
Fourteen other people were injured in the crash, with at least some of them being students from Barnard College, who were part of the same mission.
"Our hearts are heavy as we offer condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in today's bus accident," James Nealon, U.S. ambassador to Honduras, wrote on Twitter.
Our hearts are heavy as we offer condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in today’s bus accident.
— US Ambassador HN (@USAmbHonduras) January 13, 2016
The U.S. Embassy in Honduras released a statement about the incident, saying that it is in close contact with authorities and would provide consular assistance to any who needed it.
