TicaBus Accident Leaves Two Dead
An accident Saturday involving a TicaBus in Chinandega, Nicaragua, has left two dead, more than a dozen injured and the driver of the bus, Costa Rican Gilberto Azofeifa Flores, in a Nicaraguan jail.

The accident occurred around 2:30pm in Chinandega, northwest of Managua, when the bus left the road and slammed into a tree.

Dr. Carlos Fletes of the military hospital Alejandro Dávila, in Managua, confirmed the death of two Salvadoran national and the injury of some 16 other passengers.

The bus was driven by the 44 year old Costa Rica who is from La Esperanza de Río Claro, in Golfito, and who is in jail in Nicaragua facing homicide charges in that country.

Azofeifa told the Nicaraguan press that it all happened suddenly when he felt the loss of control of his vehicle. "I couldn't avoid the bus flipping onto its side", Asofeifa said sobbingly.

The two dead Salvadorans were identified as Claudia Mónica Hernández, 36, and Alba Luz Flores, 49.

The bus had left Costa Rica at 3am headed for El Salvador, with Azofeifa at the wheel, driving to the border at Peñas Blancas, where he was relieved by Walter Badillas.

Azofeifa resumed driving of the bus in Managua and drove the 177 kilometre distance to Chinandega, when witnesses day he fell asleep behind the wheel.