GUATEMALA CITY – At least 30 people were killed after a truck fell on the crowd on a highway in western Guatemala. The crowd apparently had gathered on the road following a previous hit-and-run accident, AP reported Thursday.
At least 30 people died in the accident and 15 others were treated for injuries in local hospitals.
The semi-trailer truck escaped after the accident, which occurred near the city of Nahuala, located west of Guatemala City.
A crowd of people gathered on the highway after a fatal accident hit a truck, said local fire department spokeswoman Cecilio Chacaj.
"It looks like the trailer did not notice the number of people on the road and crushed them," Chacaj said.
President Jimmy Morales offered his condolences to the families of the victims and said that his government was working to coordinate assistance to those affected.
The accident is one of the worst road accidents in Guatemala in recent years. In 2013, a bus fell off a cliff in rural Guatemala, killing 43 people.