Twelve children dead in Ecuador bus accident

At least 12 children were killed and seven others injured when the bus in which they were travelling drove off a cliff in the Andes mountains of northern Ecuador, state media has reported.

At least 12 children were killed and seven others injured when the bus in which they were travelling drove off a cliff in the Andes mountains of northern Ecuador, state media has reported.

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The victims, all between the ages of seven and 10, were part of a student group travelling on a bus that plunged into a ravine in the Concepcion area, north of Ibarra, the capital of Imbabura province, the Andes news agency said.

The report did not specify the total number of passengers on board or the fate of the driver.

Traffic accidents are the second leading cause of death in Ecuador. More than 40 people were killed in a bus accident on Christmas Eve last year.