Bus plunges down embankment in central Ecuador, killing 13

USPA News - Thirteen people were killed Wednesday and more than 35 others were injured when a passenger bus overturned and plunged down an embankment on a road in central Ecuador, local authorities said on Thursday. A brake failure is suspected to be the cause.

The accident happened at around 9:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday on a road between Ambato, a city in the central Andean valley of Ecuador, and the town of Pillaro. Photos from the scene showed rescue workers searching the heavily damaged bus which was on its side in a grassy field. A preliminary investigation showed the bus was likely speeding when it suffered a brake failure, causing the vehicle to overturn before tumbling 250 meters (820 feet) down an embankment. Tungurahua Province Governor Lira Villalba said 13 people were killed while 37 others were transported to various hospitals in Ambato. Roads in Ecuador are among the most dangerous in Latin America with more than 4,800 fatalities and more than 10,000 injuries a year, according to the most recent data. In December 2010, at least 41 people were killed and others were injured when a bus transporting families to Christmas celebrations plunged into a ravine in Ecuador.