The devastating bus crash in southeastern Mexico that killed 12 people — including eight Americans — and left more than a dozen injured was caused by a negligent driver who was likely speeding, officials said Wednesday.
The driver, who has not been identified, was shuttling 27 cruise ship passengers to the popular Chacchoben ruins in Quintana Roo when he lost control and struck a tree, causing the large coach bus to flip over around 10 a.m. Tuesday, prosecutor Miguel Angel Pech Cen said.
Two Swedes, a Canadian and a local tour guide were also killed. Seven Americans were among the injured.
The driver survived and was taken into custody.
A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Mexico confirmed that eight Americans died in the crash but would not identify the victims when reached by the Daily News.
“We express our heartfelt condolences to all those affected by this tragedy,” the spokesman said.
South Florida resident Fanya Shamis, 78, was one of the Americans who died in the crash, according to her grandson, Benjamin Shababo.
Shamis’ daughter, 46-year-old Anna Behar and her son Daniel, 11, of Lorton, Va. were also killed.
“We’re all scared,” Shababo, 18, told the Florida Sun Sentinel. “It’s just really scary to process this in my head that possibly something really bad happened to them.”
Except for the driver and the tour guide, the crash victims were all passengers on two Royal Caribbean cruise ships: Celebrity Equinox, which left Miami on Saturday, and Serenade of the Seas, which left Fort Lauderdale on Friday.
Both ships were on seven-day tours that were supposed to include multiple stops in Mexico and Honduras.