MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

German Consul in Asunción killed in multiple-car crash

At the time of impact, Consul Blumenröther was in the car's back seat with her 4-year-old son in her arms

Germany's Consul General in Asunción (Paraguay) Kristin Blumenröther was killed Sunday in a multiple-car crash on the Luque-San Bernardino road known as Ecovía in which her husband and one of the children also perished. The couple's other child survived the accident and is hospitalized. The Paraguayan administration of President Santiago Peña extended its condolences to Blumenröther and the German Government.

Three of the occupants of a Kía Picanto car died on the spot, 41 kilometers away from the country's capital. They were identified as Osvaldo Darío Jacquet Valdez, 39, his wife Kristin María Blumenröther, 40, and their 4- year-old son Philippe. The couple's 8-year-old daughter has been hospitalized in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). A fourth person identified as Nancy Angeluz Chena Vallejos, 57, who was riding a Hyundai HB20 car, died at the IPS Ingavi Hospital. She was the mother of San Bernardino Councilman Eduardo Pattender.

Sheriff René Aquino of the 26th Police Station at Ciervo Cuá told reporters that Eugenio María Sanabria Vierci, 68, the driver of the car causing the accident, tested positive for alcohol and has been placed under arrest, although he too was taken to the San Roque Hospital in Asunción for treatment. Prosecutor Zulma Benítez intends to file manslaughter and possibly reckless endangerment charges against him.

Preliminary investigations suggest that Sanabria may have lost control of the vehicle due to his drunkenness, invading the oncoming lane and causing the collision. Other witnesses said he had been driving irresponsibly for quite a while before the crash. According to Paraguayan sources, the influential Vierci family might prevent a fair trial from taking place. The accident was captured by a security camera on the Luque-San Bernardino highway. https://x.com/Raulbogarin/status/1855745216344391888

At the time of impact, Consul Blumenröther was in the car's back seat with her 4-year-old son in her arms while next to her was the 8-year-old girl, it was reported. The driver was found trapped between the irons. “The girl, who is the only survivor, was crying and screaming, asking for her mother. She was in a lot of pain and had bruises,” Aquino told a local broadcaster.

The site of the accident is notorious for previous incidents despite proper warning signs on display, the sheriff also explained.