At least 29 people have died after a bus carrying German tourists plunged off a road and overturned on the Portuguese island of Madeira.
Another 27 were injured in the accident near the town of Caniço. Another woman later died of her injuries in hospital. The tourist bus eventually came to rest on the roof of a house.
In the fatal journey, the tour bus fell down the side of a steep hill as the driver lost control as it veered off the road. The bus was carrying 55 people and rolled down the side of the hill, throwing passengers from side to side in the coastal town in Canico
The tourists on the bus were German but two local pedestrians were also killed. Other locals are also among the casualties. Eleven of the fatalities were men and 17 women.
The scene of the crash has been secured and investigations are underway. All the injured have been transferred to a nearby hospital in the island’s capital, Funchal.
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is due to land on the island to visit the scene and Prime Minister Antonio Costa has sent a message of condolence to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Teams from the Forensic Institute were to be dispatched from the capital to assist the Madeira authorities in carrying out autopsies of the victims
Often referred to as the “Pearl of the Atlantic”, Madeira welcomes thousands of tourists every year attracted by its volcanic landscapes and mild climate.
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