School bus in Colombia plunges 80m into ravine, 17 dead & 20 injured, students just celebrated graduation

A graduation celebration in northern Colombia turned into a tragedy after a school bus plunged into a ravine and killed 17 people and injured 20.

The bus crashed off a cliff in a rural area.

According to El Colombiano, the crash occurred on Dec. 14, 2025 at around 5:40am.

Graduation

The incident occurred after students on the bus were celebrating their graduation on the beach, Reuters reported, adding that the governor of Antioquia, Andres Julian, expressed his condolences over the tragedy.

"It's very hard news for the entire community during the time of December," he said.

Crash

The governor added that the bus, which was carrying students from the Antioqueño High School, was travelling from the Caribbean town of Tolu to Medellin after a school trip.

According to The Daily Mail, the school has clarified that the outing was not an official school activity as it was organised directly by the students.

Prior to the crash, the school bus was travelling along a steep, mountainous stretch, Colombia One reported, adding that the vehicle then plunged about 80m into a ravine.

Following the crash, a young survivor reportedly alerted rescue teams to the accident.

Victims

Many injured passengers were then taken to hospitals in nearby towns, according to Colombia One, adding that the bus driver was among those killed.

Investigation

Colombia One reported that while Colombia has had a long history of fatal road accidents, which include buses on mountainous roads, the cause of this accident is still under investigation.

Investigators will examine the vehicle condition, driver records, hours of service, as well as road conditions and weather.

Top photos via @Globupdate/X