8 dead, 6 injured after small bus plunges into ravine in Bolivia

LA PAZ, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were killed and six others injured on Monday after a small bus plunged into a ravine along the Yungas Road in the Bolivian department of La Paz, said the national fire department.

"Eight people are dead and six are injured. Among the deceased is a three-year-old girl," confirmed Pavel Tovar, director of the department.

Recent rainfall made the road slippery and the vehicle was in an area shrouded in dense fog, and the driver purportedly lost control of the vehicle due to poor road conditions, he said.

According to preliminary reports, the small bus, which was also transporting a load of coca leaves, veered suddenly off the road and fell into the ravine before landing on the riverbed below. Firefighters and volunteers worked for hours to rescue survivors and recover bodies. ■