18 killed when passenger bus plunges off cliff in Mexico

By Sinan Dogan

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) – At least 18 people were killed and 33 others injured when a passenger bus fell off a cliff in western Mexico, local authorities said Sunday.

The bus driver lost control of the steering wheel and the vehicle rolled into a valley several meters deep on the Tepic-Puerto Vallarta Highway in the state of Nayarit.

Eleven women were among the victims.

The prosecutor's office in Nayarit said the bus was en route to Guayabitos from Guadalajara in the neighboring state of Jalisco.

An investigation into the accident has been launched.

According to data from the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico (INSP), Mexico ranks seventh worldwide and third among Latin American countries in fatal traffic accidents.