At least ten people have been killed and more than 33 injured after a passenger bus plunged into a ravine in eastern Portugal, media reports citing officials said late on Sunday.
According to officials, the bus was traveling from the Spanish city of Badajoz to the tourist destination Santa Maria da Feira when the accident occurred at Serta.
The dead, six men and four women, were Portuguese nationals aged between 50 and 70. The injured were rushed to hospitals in the cities of Coimbra and Castelo Branco. Death toll may rise further as some of the injured were in critical condition, the officials said.
More than 200 emergency workers and one helicopter were involved in rescue operations. Television footage showed firefighters cutting sections of the bus to rescue those trapped inside the vehicle.
It is not yet clear what caused the bus to veer off the road and crash into the ravine, but local residents said the accident occurred amidst heavy rains. Local authorities launched an investigation to determine the actual cause of the accident.
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