Mexico Bus Crash Kills 8 Americans; Virginia Mom, Son ID'd

QUINTANA ROO, MEXICO — Eight Americans and four others were killed in a bus crash in Quintana Roo, Mexico, on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico. Family members told multiple media outlets that Anna Behar, of Lorton, Virginia, and her 11-year-old son, Daniel, were among those killed, along with the boy's grandmother Fanya Shamis, 78, of Coconut Creek, Florida, WRC-TV reported.

Behar's husband and 15-year-old son were hurt in the wreck. A preliminary manslaughter probe found the driver lost control of the bus. When he tried to return to the narrow highway, the bus overturned, smashed into a tree and landed on the side of the road, state prosecutors said. Driver negligence and speed caused the crash, officials said on Wednesday.

The majority of the passengers came from two Royal Caribbean ships, the company said in a statement.

The news from Costa Maya about a bus accident involving #CelebrityEquinox & #SerenadeoftheSeas guests is heartbreaking. Our hearts go out to all those involved. We are doing all we can to care for our guests, including assisting with medical care and transportation.
— RCLcorp (@RCLcorp) December 19, 2017

"Due to a lack of care the driver lost control of the bus' steering to the right, leaving the asphalt," state prosecutor Miguel Angel Pech Cen said at a news conference. Evidence pointed to excessive speed, he said.

The bus had been traveling from cruise ships to nearby Mayan ruins.

Three Canadians, four Brazilians, four Americans and two Swedes were hospitalized for injuries, the state government said. The two Swedes were taken to the U.S. for treatment. Seven others suffered minor injuries in the crash and returned to their cruise ship.

The bus driver was hurt and taken into custody, a state government statement early Wednesday said. But Pech Cen later said the driver wasn't in custody, but was taken away from the scene for medical treatment. They knew the driver's identity and would get a statement from him, but were not sure if he was in a hospital or still at home, the prosecutor said. He did not elaborate on the conflicting government statements.

The Swedish and Canadian governments confirmed the deaths of their citizens, but the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City confirmed only that there were "multiple" American deaths and several injuries. A statement said the embassy had staff on the ground assisting victims and loved ones.

"We express our heartfelt condolences to all those affected by this tragedy," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in Washington.

Haim Shababo of Fort Lauderdale said Wednesday that his mother-in-law, Fanya Shamis, was among the bus passengers killed in the crash. "We are waiting for the bodies to come home," he said. He said the family had no additional information to provide at this time.

Chris Brawley, of Haslet, Texas, was on one of the two cruise ships that had passengers on the crashed bus, and he was en route to the ruins as well. He said his bus passed by the accident just minutes after it occurred, and he observed skid marks on the dry pavement.

Brawley said the ship he was sailing on, the Serenade of the Seas, sailed out of Mahahual on Tuesday around 5:30 p.m., a couple hours after its scheduled departure. It was docked Wednesday up the coast in Cozumel.

"Captain informed us this morning one of our passengers passed overnight," Brawley said.

By GABRIEL ALCOCER , Associated Press

Associated Press writers Christopher Sherman in Mexico City and Jennifer Kay in Miami contributed to this report.

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