Dutch tourist in critical condition after Ecuador bus accident

The Dutchman who sustained severe injuries in the bus accident in Ecuador on Sunday is still in critical condition. The victim was transferred to a hospital in the capital Quito by air ambulance on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Eurocross emergency center said.

A Eurocross team is on the way to Ecuador in South America. Two nurses and a counselor who speak Spanish will support the group of Dutch people involved in the accident.

It is not yet known when the injured tourists will fly back to the Netherlands. That depends on their injuries, the spokesperson said. “One may have to stay longer than the other.” It is also not yet known when the bodies of the two who died can be repatriated. “That is a complex and unfortunately often a time-consuming process abroad.”

The 21 Dutch people in the crashed bus were on a tour of Djoser when their bus collided with another bus on the road between Tena and Baeza in Napo province. Two Dutch tourists were killed, a 74-year-old woman from Haarlem and a 73-year-old man from Hilversum. Six injured Dutch people had already been taken to the hospital in Quito. The severely injured Dutchman followed later.

Herman van der Velde, director and founder of travel organization Djoser, said that his concern goes out to the victims' relatives and the injured people in Ecuador. “We are trying to support everyone and offer help. It is terrible that this has happened. I have no words for it. We are all very shocked.”