On a Thursday afternoon on the Jarabacoa–La Vega highway in the Dominican Republic’s La Vega province, a sudden vehicle incident disrupted the daily commute when a Caribe Tours passenger bus erupted in flames. Emergency management officials confirmed that nine people on board suffered only minor injuries, an outcome that prevented what could have been a far deadlier tragedy.
The blaze broke out at approximately 5:02 p.m. local time in the Ercilia Pepín neighborhood, close to the local landmark commonly called Las Costillitas. At the time of the ignition, the bus, registered as unit 942, was operating its scheduled route from La Vega heading toward the mountain town of Jarabacoa, carrying a full load of passengers.
In the chaotic moments after the fire was first spotted, quick-acting passengers and the driver coordinated a rapid evacuation of the vehicle before flames could consume the entire bus and trap people inside. Emergency response teams from the Dominican Republic’s National Emergency and Security System 9-1-1 were dispatched to the scene immediately after receiving distress calls. Medics provided on-site first aid to all injured individuals, and after confirming that all injuries were non-life-threatening, the medical team released all nine patients after completing their treatment.
Authorities released the names of eight of the nine injured people publicly: Wilson Ortiz, Francisca Javi Ortiz, Ana María Ortiz, Algelis Rivera, Ana Peralta, Manuel Ortiz, Jensi Alonzo, and Ramón Durán. No further information on the identity of the ninth injured passenger has been released as of the latest update.
Firefighters assigned to the Buena Vista Fire Department also arrived promptly to contain the emergency. Crews worked efficiently to put out the fully developed blaze, and successfully stopped the fire from spreading to adjacent vegetation or nearby structures, limiting the overall damage from the incident.