42 Killed in Chilean Bus Wreck

An overcrowded and speeding bus tried to pass another vehicle early today but smashed head-on into a timber truck, killing 42 passengers and seriously injuring 11, police said.

“The truck plowed into the bus until seat 37,” one witness said. “Half the bus disappeared, and all that was left of the truck was its cargo.” Police said the bus was traveling from the capital, Santiago, to Temuco, a rural center 429 miles south. Most of the passengers were rural workers returning from the capital, witnesses said.