Eight people have been killed and 19 injured in a horrific bus crash in Mexico, which occurred on Christmas Eve. The vehicle plunged more than 600ft down an embankment in the municipality of Zontecomatlan, in the eastern state of Veracruz, at around 5pm local time.
The bus, which was full of passengers believed to be travelling home for Christmas, came off the road in an area with bends. Adults and children are among the fatalities. Pictures from the scene showed the bus lying on its roof.
State governors confirmed the death toll in an overnight message, stating: 'Unfortunately, the Public Prosecutor's Office has confirmed eight deaths. We are continuing with rescue and care work at the site, together with the teams present.' The injured have been transferred to hospitals in Chicontepec and Huayacocotla.
The bus had left Mexico City and was heading for Chicontepec in Veracruz’s Huasteca region. It is not yet clear why the vehicle left the road, or whether the driver, named locally as Carlos Daniel Baez, was among the casualties.
The incident follows another devastating bus crash in Colombia earlier this month, in which 16 students were killed when their bus plunged 250ft down a steep embankment.
