Bus crash in Ecuador kills 24 people, injuring 19

QUITO - A bus carrying travelers from Colombia and Venezuela crashed in Ecuador early Tuesday, killing 24 people and injuring 19 others, according to the Quito Fire Department.

The bus was traveling to Quito when it hit a passenger car along a stretch known as "deadman's curve" on the Pifo-Papallacta road at about 3 a.m. local time, authorities said.

The Colombian-registered bus crashed into the passenger car and overturned, striking three houses on the side of the road before coming to a stop.

Photos of the accident showed the mangled wreckage of the bus lying on its side, with debris strewn along the roadway.

At least three of the car's four passengers --- two adults and two children -- were killed.

Among the victims were Colombian and Venezuelan citizens, National Police officer Roberto Padilla said.

The bus, carrying 38 passengers at the time, belonged to the international tourism company Cotrans Especiales del Oriente, the daily El Comercio said, citing Col. Wilson Pavon, director of transit control of the police.

The driver has been identified as Colombian national Cristian Andres Parra Silva, said Pavon.

On Sunday, another bus carrying soccer fans in Ecuador overturned on a highway, killing 12 people and injuring 30 others near the city of Cuenca.