Spanish emergency services have confirmed a seventh death following a bus crash on Christmas Eve, when a coach plunged from a bridge into the Lérez river in Galicia. The body of a woman was recovered from the water on Monday, two days after the initial search ended with six fatalities.
The bus, travelling from Lugo to Vigo, fell approximately 30 metres into the fast-flowing river. Two people, including the driver, were injured. The driver tested negative for alcohol and drugs, according to authorities.
Rescue teams had suspended their search near the village of Pedre on Christmas Day after locating six bodies. However, they resumed operations when a surviving passenger reported that a friend she had been travelling with was not on the official victim list. The woman had not been reported missing as no one was waiting for her, a Guardia Civil spokesman told AFP.
Her body was spotted by a helicopter in the river on Monday morning. Emergency services were first alerted by a passing driver who noticed a missing section of the bridge's safety barrier. Minutes later, one of the survivors called from inside the bus as it rapidly filled with water. Among the passengers were people who had just visited loved ones at a prison in central Galicia, local media reported.
