Eight dead and 19 injured in Christmas horror bus crash

The vehicle plunged more than 600ft down an embankment and was seen lying on its roof before eight people were confirmed dead - while 19 injured people are in hospital

Eight people have been killed in a horror bus crash in Mexico which has also left 19 people injured.

The accident happened at around 5pm local time yesterday when the vehicle plunged more than 600ft down an embankment in an area with bends in the road. Pictures from the scene showed the bus lying on its roof, in the municipality of Zontecomatlan in the eastern state of Veracruz.

State governors said in an overnight message: "The state government is coordinating the response to a bus accident which occurred in a ravine in Zontecomatlan. At present, 19 injured people are receiving care and have been transferred to Chicontepec and Huayacocotla.

"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 bus had left the capital Mexico City and was heading for the town of Chicontepec in Veracruz’s Huasteca region, surrounded by lush tropical landscapes, rivers and mountains.

It was not immediately clear why the vehicle had come off the road and whether the driver, named locally as Carlos Daniel Baez, was among those killed or hurt.

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