Ecuador. Fatal Accident: A driver was burned to death.

Shock after accident on the Quinindé-La Unión highway; a driver was burnt to death

The collision was head-on between a pickup truck and an all-terrain vehicle and left eight fatalities. The accident occurred this Monday morning, March 22, 2021, on the Quinindé-Santo Domingo highway, specifically at kilometer 190 in the parish of La Unión de Quinindé. Police officers arrived at the scene at 07:20 One of the vehicles was engulfed in flames and its driver was burned by the speed with which the fire broke out, according to witnesses. The vehicles involved are a pickup truck and a five-door vehicle. Images shared on social networks show that the 4X4 vehicle caught fire after the accident. The twisted iron of the pickup truck's cabin can also be seen. The images recorded by people show that the injured were trapped in the cab of a pickup truck and others, apparently, came out through the windshield until they were on the road. According to emergency personnel who arrived at the site, eight people were killed. The identity of the victims is not yet known, but ECU 911, in an initial report, indicates that paramedics transferred three injured to a health center in Quinindé. Those affected arrived at the Padre Alberto Buffoni hospital in critical conditions, informed to this newspaper the director of that center, R. F. At about 12:00, they were referred to the Delfina Torres de Concha hospital, in the city of Esmeraldas, due to their complex situation. According to Fernández, the condition of one of them is the most critical. Prosecutors, police and firefighters are still working on the recognition of the identities of the deceased. The bodies were to be taken to the forensic science center in Esmeraldas. The Traffic Police, in charge of this road axis, pointed out that members of the Traffic Accident Investigation Service (SIAT) are collecting data at the site to know the causes of the accident. Firefighters were also present and extinguished the fire that consumed the vehicle.