School Bus Plunges Off Cliff in Colombia, 17 Dead, 20 Hurt

Early on Sunday morning a bus carrying students from Liceo Antioqueño fell from a cliff in a rural section of northern Antioquia, Colombian authorities said, killing 17 people and injuring 20. The vehicle rolled roughly 80 meters down a steep slope, local reports said, scattering wreckage on a road described in some accounts as the El Chispero area between the Caribbean town of Tolú and Medellín.

Governor Andrés Julián posted on X that the vehicle "fell into an abyss" and announced the casualty figures late Sunday night. He wrote that "the whole hospital network is ready to attend and support this emergency" as rescue crews and hospitals in the region mobilized to treat and transfer the wounded. Julián called the incident "very hard news for the entire community during the time of December," language that reflected the broader sense of mourning as families prepared for the holidays.

Authorities have identified the passengers as students who had been celebrating graduation on the coast the day before. The high school said the outing was not an official school activity and was organized by 11th grade students. Local officials have not released a full list of victims or their ages, and families in the town gathered at the gate of the school to leave flowers and mourn.

Early, fragmented reports in the chaotic hours after the crash produced varying casualty counts, but the governor's toll of 17 dead and 20 injured is the most recent official figure provided by regional authorities. Emergency personnel worked at the scene to recover passengers and to move the injured to nearby hospitals. Medical facilities in the department were put on alert and received patients through the morning and afternoon, authorities said.

At this stage officials have not announced a definitive cause for the accident. No formal investigation or criminal charges have been reported yet and there is no official determination as to whether mechanical failure, driver error or road and weather conditions played a role. Investigators will need to examine the vehicle's maintenance records, the driver's condition and course of travel, and road safety infrastructure in the rural stretch where the bus left the carriageway.

The crash highlights persistent safety challenges on Colombia's regional roads, where steep terrain and long distances between towns can magnify the consequences of a single incident. For communities such as Tolú and those in northern Antioquia the loss reaches beyond the immediate victims, striking students on the cusp of adulthood and families gathered for end of year celebrations.

Regional officials have called for a full investigation and for authorities to provide support to bereaved families. As rescue operations moved to recovery and hospitals began to stabilize the injured, local clergy and community leaders prepared to offer counseling and to coordinate funeral arrangements. National authorities may join local efforts as details of the crash and the identities of those lost are confirmed in the coming days.