Nine people died and several more were injured Wednesday after a bus plunged into a ravine in the Andes Mountains region of southern Ecuador, according to the country's emergency service.

"The death of nine people has been confirmed. The Ministry of Public Health is consolidating the official number of injured people," the service said in a statement, without specifying the number of passengers.

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The injured victims were transported to health centers in Riobamba and Colta.

Traffic accidents are a leading cause of death in Ecuador, where more than 565 deaths were caused by road accidents between January and May 2025.

About 2,300 people were killed in road accidents in 2024, according to official data.