Three Columbia University students on their way home from a mission in Honduras yesterday died in a tragic bus accident. The bus was filled with students who were just hours away from flying home after a successful volunteer trip when it skidded off a ravine and fell at least 260 feet. [lead image via Mario Tama / Getty Images]
All the Columbia victims who died on the bus were female and have been identified as Olivia Varley Erhardt (20), Daniella Moffson (21), and Abigail Flanagan (45). Flanagan was a nurse practitioner at Columbia University Medical Hospital and a student.
Flanagan’s son, Patrick, was one of the organizers of the trip and was also on the bus. He gave a statement that he tried to administer CPR to his mom. She died in the hospital.
The group was with Global Brigades, a health and international organization offering a seven-day trip that had ended Wednesday. They had just left the small town of San Juancito and were making their way to the airport.
Firefighters who responded to the scene believe that the crash was a result of mechanical failure. Our thoughts go out to the family of the deceased, but there’s silver lining in that there could have been many more deaths considering the severity of the crash itself.
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Columbia medical teams have been sent down to Honduras for assistance, including Medical Director for Health Services Dr. Samuel Seward.
This story is developing refresh for more.
