Seven killed after bus plunges into fast-flowing river in Spain

At least seven people died after a bus skidded off a bridge and plunged into an overflowing river in north-western Spain.

The bus was travelling from Lugo to Vigo when it fell from a height of about 30m (98ft) into the fast-flowing river on Christmas eve (Saturday).

On Monday, the officials pulled out two survivors —the vehicle’s 63-year-old driver and a female passenger— from the Lerez river in the north-western Galicia region, where a body of a woman was found.

According to local media, the passengers had just visited loved ones at a prison in central Galicia.

Though the exact reason for the crash is still being investigated, officials believe that bad weather may have been one of the reasons.

Primary investigation revealed that the bus driver tested negative for alcohol and drugs.

The rescue operation was initially focused near the village of Pedre, near Galicia's regional capital of Santiago de Compostela, on Christmas Day (Sunday) after finding six bodies.

But the operation was resumed after one surviving passenger said a friend she had been travelling with was not on the official list of victims.

A Guardia Civil police spokesman told AFP news agency that the woman had not been reported missing as nobody had been waiting for her. Her body was spotted by a helicopter in the river on Monday morning.

A passing driver had first witnessed the accident, following the emergency services were called in after being informed that a section of the bridge's safety barrier was missing.

Minutes later, one of the survivors called them from inside the bus as it was fast filling with water.

(With inputs from agencies)

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