Horror as dozens killed and injured after two buses smash into each other head-on

A horror crash in Bolivia has left at least 37 people dead and more than 30 injured in Bolivia after two buses collided head-on.

One of the buses was en route to one of South America’s biggest carnivals in the western city of Oruro on Saturday when the tragic incident occurred.

Horrifying pictures from the scene show the buses totally wrecked, with half of their windows and bodies ripped off in the collision. Luggage and seats can also be seen scattering the roadside.

Bolivian police have now launched a probe into the devastating accident, which occurred around three miles from the southwestern city of Uyuni, as the buses were travelling on the main road to Colchani.

“We have lost approximately 37 people who are believed to have died and around thirty wounded, whose condition we are still verifying in different hospitals,” said local police commander Wilson Flores, according to Vision 360.

Both bus drivers have been left with injuries, with one in intensive care and the other in stable condition, the police chief added.

According to early police reports, it has been suggested that one of the buses “invaded” another lane in the lead-up to the crash. Both bus drivers have been tested for alcohol and the police are awaiting the results.

This news comes barely two weeks after another horror bus crash in Bolivia which killed over 30 people and injured several others when the vehicle careered off a mountain road and plunged more than 2,000 feet (800 metres) into a ravine.

Fourteen people were injured in the crash, including four children, an official from a local hospital said. Several were in a serious condition, media outlet Unitel reported.

Investigators believe the bus could have been travelling too fast on the twisting mountain road between the cities of Potosí and Oruro.

This is not the first time there has been a major accident on this road, either. Last month, 19 people were killed when another bus came off a road, also near Potosí. Bolivia has some of the most dangerous roads in the world and lethal accidents are frequent occurrences.

Road accidents kill an average of 1,400 people every year in the country of about 12 million inhabitants, according to government data.