And, pulling back now from that emotional close up to the chaotic scene of yesterday's accident, Jules Vasquez takes us to the area between miles 18 and 19 where the accident happened:
Ambulances raced to and from the scene yesterday - they had an major mass casualty event to get 10 injured persons - all tourists - to the hospital. As one ambulance left, another arrived. But, the ambulances were delayed in their life or death mission, getting stuck on the road by vehicles clogging the highway - as an irate Janelle Chanona told police:
Janelle Chanona
"Vehicles are coming up! They need to be stopping traffic from Hattieville, that is not right that the ambulance is getting stuck."Â
The transport mobile hurriedly moved off to go and clear the road of a real problem.
Supt. Alejandro Cowo - OC, CIB Belize City
"Yes the ambulances were having difficulty in transporting the injured persons because the motorists on both sides of the road were not giving a way for the ambulance to clear the highway, for them to take off."
Reporter
"Talk to us about police procedures that should have been in place in an event like this to prevent something like this from happening."
Supt. Alejandro Cowo
"You know the police procedure, is that police are out there firstly to protect and preserve life, so the first thing that the police did, was try to rescue those who were still alive and ensure that they were transported to the hospital because of the amount of vehicles that were there, blocking both sides of the highway, it was highly impossible for the police to clear all the vehicles at the same time because at the time when more and more vehicles were just added to the line of vehicles that were coming to Belize City and going out of Belize City causing a massive block on the highway."
We counted as many as 10 or more ambulances of every shape and colour. But still the injured had to wait for ambulances, and EMT's had to treat them on the highway pavement.
A total of 13 tourists were in the van, a few of them were spared and they tried to help their fellow travellers.
Many other tourists who got stuck on the western side of the accident - had to return to the cruise ship - and they were forced to walk across through the bushes.
For these tourists - the day's events provided a kind of morbid jungle hike which they never could have expected. Some drivers, also got so desperate to cross that they went off road on the solid pine ridge.
Only this drone had no trouble getting across to the area. It was a sad spectacle, the Jaws of life had to be employed to wrest the bodies form the wreckage of the SUV.
For some it was all too much - the scene of so many dead and injured. And around 5:00 pm, the police and Coast Guard vehicles started getting in position to move the 6 bodies. So many bodies that three pickups had to be used. A sad and shocking procession as they left the scene.
Just before 6:00 those vehicles arrived at the KHMH morgue. Hospital staff had the grim task of removing them. Back on the highway, when the scene cleared, we had a look at the massive impact of this high speed head on collision.
And it showed for sure that no one in the tiny SUV could have survived and while they sprayed the road clean - the stain of this traumatic accident will remain forever with the families, and should be a long term reminder to drivers
