Families bid farewell to victims of Guatemala bus crash

SANTO DOMINGO LOS OCOTES, Guatemala (AP) — Hours before dawn, Julio Arrivillaga and Catalina Pérez Molina boarded a bus with other residents in the center of this humble village for what should have been an hour-long ride to Guatemala’s capital.

For Arrivillaga it was a daily trip to his job counting fruit in the country’s largest market. For Pérez Molina, it was her occasional dash to the capital to buy produce for the tamales and roasted corn she sold.

But along the way their bus left the road and tumbled into a deep ravine, killing them and more than 50 others.

On Tuesday, families in Santo Domingo Los Ocotes, accompanied by President Bernardo Arévalo, began saying goodbye to their loved ones amid a three-day period of national mourning.

Guatemala’s National Forensic Science Institute said Tuesday that 54 people had died in the crash. A day earlier, the Public Ministry said 53 people had died at the site of the crash and two more at a hospital and had not reconciled the numbers Tuesday.

“I still don’t understand what happened,” Arrivillaga’s wife Irma Catalán said Tuesday. “I haven’t accepted it. I don’t know what my life will be now.”

Videos circulated online of the moments before the Monday accident show the bus apparently speeding, running stoplights and colliding with multiple vehicles before leaving the roadway and plunging into the ravine where it landed upside down beneath a bridge and semi-submerged in dark sewage-polluted waters.

In Santo Domingo Los Ocotes, funerals were scheduled over two days.

Pérez Molina was among those buried Tuesday.

Christian Pérez, her 25-year-old son, said he was still in shock at the loss of his mother. He’s been confined to a wheelchair since a motorcycle accident seven years ago, and she was the one who sustained their family.

“I can’t deny it, her loss really hurts,” Pérez said.

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Pallbearers carry the coffin of a victim of a bus crash to a cemetery for burial in Santo Domingo Los Ocotes, Guatemala, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, the day after dozens of passengers died when the bus they were traveling on plunged into a gorge on the outskirts of Guatemala City.. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Mourners attend the burial ceremony for victims of a bus crash at the cemetery in Santo Domingo Los Ocotes, Guatemala, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Dozens of passengers died after their bus plunged into a gorge and landed under a bridge on Feb. 10 on the outskirts of the Guatemalan capital. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Pall bearers carry a coffin that contains the remains of a victim of a bus crash, to a cemetery for a burial service, in Santo Domingo Los Ocotes, Guatemala, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Dozens of passengers died after their bus plunged into a gorge and landed under a bridge on Feb. 10 on the outskirts of the Guatemalan capital. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Pall bearers carry a coffin that contains the remains of a victim of a bus crash, to a cemetery for a burial service in Santo Domingo Los Ocotes, Guatemala, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Dozens of passengers died after their bus plunged into a gorge and landed under a bridge on Feb. 10 on the outskirts of the Guatemalan capital. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Mourners pay their final respects to the victim of a bus crash at a funeral service in Santo Domingo Los Ocotes, Guatemala, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Dozens of passengers died after their bus plunged into a gorge and landed under a bridge on Feb. 10 on the outskirts of the Guatemalan capital. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Mourners pay their final respects to the victim of a bus crash at a funeral service in Santo Domingo Los Ocotes, Guatemala, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Dozens of passengers died after their bus plunged into a gorge and landed under a bridge on Feb. 10 on the outskirts of the Guatemalan capital. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Mourners pay their final respects to the victims of a bus crash at a funeral service in Santo Domingo Los Ocotes, Guatemala, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Dozens of passengers died after their bus plunged into a gorge and landed under a bridge on Feb. 10 on the outskirts of the Guatemalan capital. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Mourners attend a funeral service for victims of a bus crash, in Santo Domingo Los Ocotes, Guatemala, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Dozens of passengers died after their bus plunged into a gorge and landed under a bridge on Feb. 10 on the outskirts of the Guatemalan capital. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Pall bearers carry a coffin that contains the remains of a victim of a bus crash, at a funeral service in Santo Domingo Los Ocotes, Guatemala, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Dozens of passengers died after their bus plunged into a gorge and landed under a bridge on Feb. 10 on the outskirts of the Guatemalan capital. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo and first lady Lucrecia Peinado, pay their final respects to the victims of a bus crash, at a funeral service in Santo Domingo Los Ocotes, Guatemala, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Dozens of passengers died after their bus plunged into a gorge and landed under a bridge on Feb. 10 on the outskirts of the Guatemalan capital. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo, center, and first lady Lucrecia Peinado, pay their final respects to the victims of a bus crash, at a funeral service in Santo Domingo Los Ocotes, Guatemala, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Dozens of passengers died after their bus plunged into a gorge and landed under a bridge on Feb. 10 on the outskirts of the Guatemalan capital. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Mourners attend a funeral service for the victims of a bus crash, in Santo Domingo Los Ocotes, Guatemala, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Dozens of passengers died after their bus plunged into a gorge and landed under a bridge on Feb. 10 on the outskirts of the Guatemalan capital. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Mourners attend a funeral service for victims of a bus crash, in Santo Domingo Los Ocotes, Guatemala, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Dozens of passengers died after their bus plunged into a gorge and landed under a bridge on Feb. 10 on the outskirts of Guatemalan capital. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

ST. JOHN'S, Antigua--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 25, 2025--

The Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) and Seven Seas Water Group (SSWG), a multinational provider of Water-as-a-Service ® (WaaS ® ), have jointly announced the opening of the Ffryes Beach seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant. The plant has a capacity of 1 million imperial gallons per day (IMGD) and will serve the surrounding areas. It is located adjacent to APUA’s existing facility at Ffryes Beach.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250325978847/en/

This is the first of two SWRO plants that APUA and SSWG announced as part of their WaaS ® agreement in March 2024. Once completed, the plant will produce up to 3 million IMGD of drinking water daily for the people of Antigua. The second plant will be located next to APUA’s existing Ivan Rodriguez facility and is expected to begin water production in the third quarter of this year. These plants will ensure a guaranteed supply of high-quality drinking water for Antigua for the next 12 years.

The Honourable Melford Nicholas, Minister of Information, Communication Technologies (ICTs), Utilities, and Energy, highlighted the importance of this achievement, stating: "I am highly impressed by the speed at which the teams from APUA and SSWG have worked to bring this plant online in just 10 months after contract signing. This additional volume will be critical for Antigua, marking the beginning of our ambitious efforts to provide reliable water island-wide. My sincere thanks to the teams at APUA and SSWG."

APUA General Manager John Bradshaw expressed his enthusiasm, saying: "With growing demand from tourism, cruise ships, and residents, I am thrilled to expand our capacity for high-quality, reliable drinking water. The Water-as-a-Service ® model aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver affordable, safe and dependable water while enabling rapid expansion. Thanks to everyone involved, and I look forward to continuing this journey."

Henry Charrabé, CEO of Seven Seas Water Group, emphasized the strong collaboration with the Government of Antigua and APUA, stating:

"We are honored to support Minister Nicholas and APUA’s commitment to expanding and improving local water infrastructure. Delivering this plant in less than a year underscores our ability to deploy water solutions quickly and efficiently. We look forward to further strengthening our presence in the region and continuing to provide sustainable, long-term Water-as-a-Service ® solutions for the people of Antigua."

About Seven Seas Water Group

Headquartered in Tampa, with operations across the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America, Seven Seas Water Group (SSWG) delivers annually over 20 billion gallons of water to industrial, commercial, governmental, municipal, and hospitality customers. SSWG designs, builds, owns and operates, delivers new facilities, or acquires and upgrades existing facilities, with the goal of optimizing project risk transfer between the public and private sectors. With an outstanding reputation for decentralized water and wastewater treatment solutions, the SSWG “Water-as-a-Service ® ” approach seeks to help solve global water and wastewater infrastructure challenges.

About APUA

The Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) was founded on July 4th, 1973, in accordance with the Public Utility Act. APUA functions as a three-part organization, delivering Electricity, Telecommunications, and Water services to the residents of Antigua and Barbuda, ensuring they meet reliable, affordable, and internationally recognized quality standards.

Left to right: John Bradshaw, General Manager APUA, Hon. Melford Nicholas, Minister of Public Utilities, H.E. Sir Rodney Williams, Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda, Erik Arfalk, SVP Business Development SSWG, Tabitha Snowbarger, Antigua and Barbuda Country Officer, U.S. Embassy, John Maginley, SSWG Local Business Advisor, Dan Kennedy, Chief Operating Officer SSWG