Mexico bus plunges off cliff, at least 18 die

Emergency personnel work on the site where a bus carrying tourists traveling to Guayabitos overturned, in Compostela, Nayarit state, Mexico in this handout image obtained from social media April 30, 2023. Secretaria de Seguridad y Proteccion Ciudadana de Nayarit/Handout via REUTERS

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - At least 18 people were killed and 33 injured when a bus fell off a cliff in western Mexico, local authorities said Sunday.

The prosecutor's office in Nayarit, the state where the accident occurred, said the vehicle fell some 15 meters (49.21 ft) down a ravine on Saturday night, on a highway that connects state capital Tepic and the tourist destination of Puerto Vallarta.

"From the first moment, we have worked in a coordinated manner with the various federal and state authorities to provide immediate attention to victims," the prosecutor's office said in a statement shared on Twitter.

Authorities reported that 11 women and seven men were killed. At least 11 minors have been transferred to hospitals for medical attention.

(Writing by Anna-Catherine Brigida; Reporting by Raul Cortes; Editing by Richard Chang)