Christmas bus plunge kills 32 in Ecuador: police

At least 32 people died when a bus packed with passengers traveling over the Christmas holiday plunged into a ravine in southwest Ecuador on Friday, police said.

At least 32 people died when a bus packed with passengers traveling over the Christmas holiday plunged into a ravine in southwest Ecuador on Friday, police said.

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Another 32 were injured in the accident, according to local police chief Major Diego Iniguez, adding that the death toll could climb further as six people were still trapped under the wreckage.

Iniguez told a local television station that the accident near the town of El Carmen in the Manabi province appeared to have been caused by "a mechanical problem."

Fog and rain may have also been factors in the bus crash, according to a member of the Red Cross, who said several children were on board.