At least 28 dead after tourist bus crashes
At least 28 people were killed after a tourist bus came off the road on the Portuguese island of Madeira.
The bus, which was carrying German holidaymakers, apparently plunged down a hill near the town of Caniço.
According to local media reports, the accident happened at 6:30pm when the driver lost control of the vehicle at a junction and went off the road.
“I have no words to describe what happened. I cannot face the suffering of these people,” Mayor Filipe Sousa told broadcaster SIC TV.
He said all the tourists on the bus were German but it was not clear if the fatalities occurred only in the bus.
The deaths were confirmed by Lusa, the national news agency. The victims are 17 women and 11 men.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said it was standing by to provide support to any British people affected.
Local television showed bodies scattered over the rural hillside next to the Atlantic Ocean.
Residents say the weather was fine at the time of the accident, which happened in daylight. Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash.