iStock/Thinkstock(MEXICO CITY) — Passengers who were traveling on two Royal Caribbean cruise ships were involved in a deadly bus crash in Mexico, a spokesman for the cruise line told ABC News.
The tour bus crashed in the southeastern part of the Yucatan Peninsula Tuesday shortly before 10 a.m. local time, according to a spokesperson for the attorney general’s office in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo.
At least 11 people were killed in the crash, the spokesperson from the attorney general’s office said. The nationalities of the passengers aboard the bus were American, Italian, Swedish and Brazilian, according to a statement from the Costa Maya Port, which is near the crash site. The bus belonged to the port and crashed at Kilometer 5 of the Mahahual-Cafetal highway, the statement said.
Eighteen people were injured and transferred to four hospitals, and five of those passengers have been discharged, according to the statement. Representatives from the port, the government and insurance companies have been dispatched to each hospital to ensure that “all actors involved are being helped, supported and informed,” the statement said.
The tour bus involved in the crash was carrying guests from Royal Caribbean’s Celebrity Equinox and Serenade of the Seas, said cruise spokesman Owen Torres.
“The news from Costa Maya about a bus accident involving our guests is heartbreaking,” Torres said. “Our hearts go out to all those involved. We are doing all we can to care for our guests, including assisting with medical care and transportation.”
The cruise line is in contact with local authorities, Torres said.
Royal Caribbean tweeted that it had 27 guests aboard the bus. A tour guide and driver were among those on board, the port said in a statement.
U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Heather Nauert said that officials were following the news of the bus crash “very closely,” describing it as “certainly a tragedy” during a briefing Tuesday afternoon.
Mission staff from the U.S. are en route to the scene in Mexico to assess the situation and determine if any Americans were injured or killed, Nauert said.
Further details on the crash were not immediately available.
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