At least 12 people have been killed and 30 more injured after a bus full of tourists plunged down a 160ft gorge.
The horror took place in the early hours of January 3 in Pasto, Colombia, on a section of the Pan-American Highway.
Shocking pictures taken in the aftermath show the bus lying in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the gorge.
The vehicle was carrying 42 passengers and victims were rushed to hospitals in Tangua, Ipiales, as well as the city of Pasto, as reported by NTN24.
Colombian Traffic Police are still investigating the ages and identities of those involved in the crash.
María Constanza García Alicastro, Colombia’s Minister of Transport, paid tribute on social media.
He wrote: ‘My deepest condolences to the families affected by this tragedy and I express my full solidarity on behalf of the national government in these difficult times.’
It is believed the tragic crash was caused by a mechanical failure in the bus.
At least 12 people have been killed and 30 injured after a bus full of tourists plunged down a 160ft gorge. Shocking pictures taken in the aftermath show the bus lying in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the gorge
Colombian Traffic Police are still investigating the ages and identities of those involved in the crash. Pictured: Forensic experts attend the scene
The horror took place in the early hours of January 3 in Pasto, Colombia, on a section of the Pan-American Highway. Here the bus can be seen lying at the bottom of the gorge
The vehicle fell into the gorge at kilometer 49 of the Pasto-Rumichaca highway, in Tangua (Nariño).
It is understood to have navigated roads with sharp bends and curves before the accident.
The bus was travelling to the popular tourist hotspot Santuario de las Lajas, in Ipiales, Nariño.
It comes as in October last year two teenage schoolgirls narrowly missed being crushed by a minibus in Colombia.
The girls, both 14 years old, were sitting on a sidewalk after they were dismissed Tuesday afternoon from school in Ciudad Bolivar, a neighborhood in the capital city of Bogotá, when the public transportation vehicle came rumbling down the street after its breaks reportedly failed.
Surveillance video showed the minibus skidding over a stretch of the sidewalk and flying over the teenagers.
The girls managed to get up before one of them tripped to the ground while the other ran and fell on the street.
The vehicle was carrying 42 passengers and victims were rushed to hospitals in Tangua, Ipiales, as well as the city of Pasto, as reported by NTN24. Pictured: Police and rescue workers inspect the crash site
The vehicle titled towards its left side and slammed into a wooden utility pole.
One of the students, Jirley Bermúdez, told Colombian television station CityTV that she turned around after hearing a loud sound in the background as the minibus barreled toward her and her friend.
‘A miracle, really,’ the María Mercedes Carranza student said. ‘I felt a tremor on the ground and turned to look back, what I saw was the car rolling.’
Bermudez said neighborhood residents came rushing onto the street and initially thought they had been run over by the minibus.