Collective funeral to be held for 33 victims of bus tragedy

(Photo: Maria Lucia Lacouture)

A collective funeral will be held on Wednesday for the young victims of a bus explosion in northern Colombia, after the death of another child in hospital on Monday brings the total fatalities to 33.

Families of the victims in Fundacion, a village in the northern state of Magdalena, have decided to hold a collective funeral on Wednesday, a day after officials said to have released the bodies back to their families.

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Three of the wounded victims of the bus tragedy, including nine-year-old Dianis Lorena Tapia, were taken to the Adelita de Char Clinic in Barranquilla after the explosion, according to El Tiempo. One seven-year-old boy died last week due to his extensive injuries: a third child, aged five, is still in intensive care.

Early on Monday morning, Dianis Lorena died due to respiratory failure and extensive burns. Her death has increased the number of victims killed by the tragedy on Sunday, where a bus filled with children on their way to a church service burst into flames. As of today, 33 lives have now been lost.

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According to Colombian newswebsite Noticia al Dia, the National Police will carry the sealed coffins to Fundacion on Wednesday for the funeral to take place. The Department of Health also have a contingency plan in place for caring for those attending the vigil and the funeral, including paramedics and care ambulances.

Sources

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