At least 19 dead as bus collides with school vehicle in Ecuador

Report says an off-road vehicle was also involved in the crash

QUITO:

At least 19 people died and 17 were injured when a school vehicle collided with a bus in southwestern Ecuador, the national security service said Saturday.

A source at the Integrated Security Service, or ECU-911, said the school vehicle "was not following a route," so it carried no passengers during the Friday evening accident.

The agency did not specify how many passengers were traveling on the interprovincial service bus. An off-road vehicle was also involved in the crash on the road between the southwestern coastal towns of Yaguachi and Milagro.

Road accidents are one of the leading causes of death in Ecuador.