31 Children Killed In Columbia Bus Fire

A bus packed with children burst into flames in Colombia on Sunday, killing at least 32 people, officials said.

The bus was picking up children from an event at a church in Fundacion, Colombia, when the blaze began. “Everyone started to scream and run,” a child who was on the bus said, describing how he escaped through a window.

Victims of the deadly fire included 31 children and one adult, Harry Aaron, a civil defense official in Magdalena department, told CNN.

Authorities are investigating what caused the fire, but one witness said that the driver went to get a drink and left children to put gasoline into the vehicle’s tank.

For more on this story, visit Nelson Quiñones and Catherine E. Shoichet (CNN).

Matt Stein is a season-credentialed media member covering the Tampa Bay Rays and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, also assisting with coverage of USF Athletics. He attended the University of Tampa and graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in Sport Management.