Costa Rica bus crash leaves nine dead, 55 rescued

SAN JOSE – A bus crash caused by heavy rains in Costa Rica left nine people dead on Saturday night, officials said.

Heavy rains across the country caused a landslide on the Cambronero route in the west of the country 45 miles from the capital San Jose.

Firefighters and the country’s Red Cross reported nine people died. Authorities found and transported 55 people to the hospital.

Hundreds of families had to be evacuated due to the severe damage caused by the heavy rains, the statement added.

Intense rains are expected to continue in coastal areas, the National Meteorological Institute said on Twitter on Sunday.

“This situation in which many families lose their belongings is really sad and worrying,” said Costa Rica President Rodrigo Chaves, who decreed on Sunday a three-day mourning.