Civil defense men pulled two survivors, a 63-year-old bus driver and a female passenger, from the river with a rope and took them to two nearby hospitals with injuries of varying severity.
A police spokesman told Reuters the driver had tested negative for alcohol and drugs.
The spokesperson added that the search and rescue operation around the bridge is now over, while engineers are trying to find a way to safely extract the wreckage of the bus from the Lirez River.
The strong current and high tide caused by the heavy rains that swept the area hampered search and rescue efforts.
The bus, from the Moonbus company, was traveling between the cities of Lugo and Vigo, and stopped at a correctional and rehabilitation center near the accident site.
The bus swerved off the road over the bridge for reasons that are still unclear and fell into the water from a height of about 40 meters.
The emergency services were first alerted by a passer-by who noticed that the bridge’s protective barrier had been badly damaged.
The river level remained above the overflow limit during the evening, forcing emergency rescue workers to suspend the operation for about two hours due to bad weather and terrain conditions before resuming the operation in the morning.
The authorities initially recorded that there were a total of 9 people on board the bus when it fell, based on the testimony of the driver, although the number is now believed to be eight based on missing persons reports provided by their relatives.
The head of the Galicia region’s government, Alfonso Rueda, cited “very bad” weather conditions as one possible cause of the accident.
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