12 dead after Ecuador bus slides off road: officials

Twelve people were killed and another 25 were injured today when the bus they were traveling in careened off a road in a coastal region of western Ecuador, officials said.

"So far there are 25 injured...and 12 people died as a result of the traffic accident," a rescue agency said in a statement.

The accident occurred at around 2:00 pm local time (1900 GMT) on the Jipijapa highway, in the area known as "Las Americas" of the Manabi province, according to a report from the Ecuadorian Traffic Commission.

Traffic accidents are among the leading causes of death in the Andean country.

Last week, a frontal collision between two buses in the neighboring province of Guayas left 11 dead and 54 wounded.