The incident took place on a hilly route that had one lane in each direction.

One of the buses was returning to central Honduras, having being empty after dropping off a group of migrants at the Guatemalan border, while the smaller bus with passengers was headed towards the city of Santa Rosa de Copan, traveling in the opposite direction.

Roughly 14 injured individuals were transported to a hospital in Santa Rosa de Copan, situated approximately 300 kilometers (186 miles) away from Tegucigalpa, the capital of the Central American nation.

Terrible accidente en en San Juan de Opoa, Copan, Honduras más de 15 fallecidos.
Terrible un bus del transporte colectivo y otro bus con migrantes. pic.twitter.com/iXkJMibWq5

— Javcon Ardi (@JavconArdi) February 28, 2024

Official data highlights road accidents as the second leading cause of fatalities in Honduras, following homicides. According to local media reports, all of the victims were Honduran nationals.

Expressing profound dismay and sorrow, President Xiomara Castro extended her condolences to the relatives of the deceased individuals on social media platform X, adding “I have instructed the relevant teams and institutions to provide all necessary support during this challenging period.”

Con profunda consternación y dolor, recibo la trágica noticia del accidente en San Juan de Opoa, Copán. Mis condolencias a las familias de las víctimas y solidaridad para la pronta recuperación de los heridos. He instruido a los equipos e instancias pertinentes para brindar todo…

— Xiomara Castro de Zelaya (@XiomaraCastroZ) February 28, 2024

Every day, thousands of migrants from South America travel across Honduras on their journey to the United States in search of better prospects. In October of last year, four migrants lost their lives when a bus plunged into a ravine in the same region.