Quito, Nov 8 (IANS/EFE) At least 15 people were killed Saturday in northern Ecuador when a bus plunged about 400 metres down a hill, authorities said.
At least 18 others were critically injured in the accident, which occurred at 4:20 a.m. on the road linking the town of Aloag and the city of Santo Domingo, at a spot not far from this capital, the Quito branch of the COE emergency management office said on Twitter.
The injured include a young boy, a pregnant woman, a police officer and several tourists, El Comercio newspaper reported, adding that they are being taken to Quito for emergency medical treatment.
Firefighters and police special operations and Red Cross personnel were dispatched to the scene of the crash, while the COE said on Twitter that a police helicopter was being used to airlift the injured to the Ecuadorian capital.