Fatal Five-Vehicle Crash on the Road to the Coast — Cuenca-Molleturo Closed at Tamarindo

The Crash

A five-vehicle crash on the Cuenca-Molleturo-El Empalme highway — the main route most Cuenca residents take to the Ecuadorian coast — killed one driver around midday on April 14, 2026, and shut the road down preventively for several hours (source).

Per El Mercurio:

• Time: "alrededor de las 11:14" — roughly 11:14 AM
• Location: "la vía Cuenca–Molleturo–El Empalme, cerca del kilómetro 92, en el sector de Tamarindo"
• Vehicles: "Cinco vehículos resultaron afectados" — five vehicles involved
• Deaths: "cuyo conductor falleció" — one driver confirmed dead at the scene

Conditions

The stretch where it happened was socked in with weather at the time: "La zona donde se produjo el siniestro presentaba condiciones de lluvia y neblina" — rain and heavy fog. Anyone who has driven that section of road knows exactly what that means. Kilometer 92 sits in the high Cajas corridor, where the weather can flip from clear to pea-soup visibility within a single switchback.

Who Responded

The Cuerpo de Bomberos de Cuenca confirmed the death. Traffic police and national police both responded: "Agentes de la Comisión de Tránsito del Ecuador y de la Policía Nacional del Ecuador acudieron al lugar."

Among the vehicles involved, El Mercurio identifies "una camioneta con los logos de la Prefectura del Azuay" — a pickup bearing the logos of the Azuay provincial prefecture — and "un vehículo Hyundai de color negro" — a black Hyundai.

Road Closure

Traffic was suspended preventively — "el tránsito fue suspendido de manera preventiva" — while first responders cleared the scene. The road has since reopened, but if you're heading to the coast, plan on the usual slow sections around El Cajas and through the Molleturo descent.

What This Means for You

The Cuenca-Molleturo-El Empalme road is the one most Cuenca expats take when they head to Guayaquil, Playas, Puerto Cayo, Olón, or anywhere else on the coast. It's also one of the more demanding drives in Ecuador, and this crash is a textbook example of why.

• Don't drive this road in rain or fog without serious caution. Visibility can drop to nothing in seconds in the high-altitude stretches. If the weather is bad at El Cajas, it's going to be worse at the Molleturo descent.
• Build in extra time. Closures like this one aren't unusual. If you have a flight to catch from Guayaquil or a hotel booking on the coast, don't plan the drive for the last possible window.
• If you can, drive it during daylight. Serious accidents on this corridor happen around dawn and dusk with depressing regularity. Middle of the day is noticeably safer.
• Know your alternatives. The longer southern route through Girón and Santa Isabel is an option when Molleturo is closed or socked in. It adds hours but gets you there.

The road is back open. Just drive it carefully.

Source: El Mercurio