First, mud began seeping under the doors. Within seconds, it had reached the seats, and inside the bus, all that could be heard were bangs, creaks, and passengers shouting that the water was still rising.
The emergency occurred around 17:00 in Santiago, Chile, when a flash flood turned a street in Las Condes into a torrent of water, rocks, branches, and mud. Nine people were traveling on the bus, including the driver.
One passenger said the impact came so quickly that they did not even have time to get off before the bus began moving backward, swept along by the current.
As the water kept pouring in, several people had to open the emergency hatch and climb onto the roof. One of the young passengers recalled that the mud inside had already reached his hips, while the vehicle moved uncontrollably for nearly two blocks, hitting and dragging objects along the way.
The bus finally came to a stop against two large trees, about 15 meters from hitting a shopping mall. Only then could they begin to get out: there were bumps and cuts from broken glass, but none of the passengers suffered extremely serious injuries.