San Juancito, Honduras – Orthodox Jewish Student From NY Amongst 3 US Volunteers Killed In Bus Crash

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    Handout picture provided by the Honduras Firefighters Corps showing minutes after a vehicle accident in El Canton locality, Honduras, on 13 January 2016.  Inset photo of Daniella Moffson (R) facebook pageSan Juancito, Honduras – A trip to the airport turned deadly for an Orthodox Jewish student from New York who was among three women killed on Wednesday in Honduras.

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    The woman has been identified as 21 year old Daniella Moffson from Manhattan.

    The two other fatalities are 20 year old Olivia Varley Erhardt, also a Columbia University student, and 45 year old Abi Flanager, an American health care worker. According to CNN.

    Yanky Meyer of Misaskim told VIN News that he had been informed that next of kin had been notified and that the medical examiner had agreed to forego an autopsy.

    Meyer said that arrangements are being made to fly Moffson back home tomorrow for burial.

    All three women were part of a group working with Global Brigades, an international non-profit agency that pairs university volunteers from North America and Europe with local groups to help disadvantaged communities improve their quality of life by meeting health and economic goals.

    According to a statement released by Columbia University on their Facebook page, a group of medical and support personnel from Columbia are currently en route to Honduras in order to provide additional assistance to other passengers who were on the bus, which also included students from Columbia’s sister school, Barnard College.
    Handout picture provided by the Honduras Firefighters Corps showing minutes after a vehicle accident in El Canton locality, Honduras, on 13 January 2016.  EPA
    Twelve more Americans were injured and are in stable condition according to Reinaldo Canales, administrator for the Valle de Angeles Adventist Hospital.

    The crash took place on a highway east of the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa. Officials reported that the bus was traveling from the town of San Juancito when it veered off a road and fell at least 260 feet into a ravine.

    “Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to all those affected by this tragedy,” said the Global Brigades statement, attributed to co-founder Steven Atamian. Phone messages left at the organization’s headquarters in Seattle were not immediately returned.

    The U.S. Embassy in Honduras said in a statement it was in close contact with local authorities and working to provide consular assistance to any who need it.

    Handout picture provided by the Honduras Firefighters Corps showing minutes after a bus accident in El Canton locality, Honduras, on 13 January 2016.

    A forensic member carries the body of a person after a bus accident, inside a morgue building in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, January 13, 2016.  Reuters
    This photo courtesy of El Heraldo de Honduras newspaper shows a bus on its side along the highway between the town of San Juancito and the capital city of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016. AP
    This photo courtesy of El Heraldo de Honduras newspaper shows an unidentified person being carried into the Valle de Angeles Adventist Hospital after being involved in a bus accident along the highway between the town of San Juancito and the capital city of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016.  AP
    The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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    5 Comments
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    Liepa
    Liepa
    8 years ago

    BD”E

    LionofZion
    LionofZion
    8 years ago

    Very sad.

    ShmutzVesh
    ShmutzVesh
    8 years ago

    So sorry forbthe family!

    8 years ago

    Bde…….. 🙁

    savtainsandiego
    savtainsandiego
    8 years ago

    Baruch Dayan Emes. May the holy neshamos of Daniella Moffson, Olivia Verley Ehrhardt, and Abi Flanager each rest blissfully in Shamayim. Refuah shelayma to all the injured. Nechama to all their families.

    So many questions: 1. Was it driver error? 2. Bald tires? 3. Sabbotage? 4. Terrorism? 5. Weather conditions?
    I hope a full investigation reveals the actual cause of this unfortunate accident.

    Kudos to all the participants enroute to do a mitzvah.