Five dead in Chile bus crash in presidential campaign
(newsfromrussia.com)
Updated: 2005-12-07 11:54

A bus carrying supporters of a Chilean socialist presidential candidate returning from a campaign rally crashed head-on with a truck Tuesday, killing five people and injuring 20, officials said.

The crash occurred on a bridge south of Chile's capital, Santiago, sending the bus plunging four meters (yards) to a dry area near the bank of a river, said Carlos Soto, a commander for the fire department. Soto said four passengers in the bus and the driver of the truck died.

Rene Jofre, a campaign worker for Socialist Party candidate Michelle Bachelet, said the bus was bringing young people back to the capital after a rally in Temuco, 650 kilometers (400 miles) south of Santiago. Chile's presidential elections are on Dec. 11.

Bachelet canceled the campaign rally she was attending in Santiago and rushed to visit the crash victims. With tears in her eyes, Bachelet said she was devastated. "This causes us a great pain," she said, also canceling a rally scheduled for Wednesday in Santiago to close her campaign.

Mayor Angel Bozan of the nearby town of Buin said one of the injured passengers was identified as Jorge Contreras Jeria, a relative of Bachelet. He did not say what their relation was, reported AP.