At least 12 people were killed and over two dozen others were injured after a bus in Honduras skidded off a highway and fell into a gorge on Tuesday, authorities said.
The bus, carrying nearly 60 people, crashed into a bridge before tipping into a stream at the bottom of the gorge (ravine) about 41 kilometres from Tegucigalpa, capital of the Central American country.
“There are now 12 dead – 10 died at the scene and another two at the hospital in Tegucigalpa,” fire brigade Lieutenant Cristian Sevilla was quoted by news agency Reuters.
The seriously injured had been taken to the hospital by ambulance and helicopter, officials said. Among the hospitalised, eight are in critical condition.
President Xiomara Castro said on social media the government had declared three days of national mourning.
“This is a tragedy that affects us all,” Castro wrote, adding that the government would cover the victims’ funeral costs.