Quito, April 16 : At least 11 people were killed and 22 others injured after an interprovincial bus veered off the road and fell into a river in southern Ecuador, authorities said.

The accident occurred on Wednesday on the Cuenca-Molleturo road near the El Chorro bridge, Cuenca canton, where the bus veered off the road and broke through guardrails before falling into a shallow river, according to the Cuenca fire department.

The vehicle later caught fire and was completely burned, images shared on social media showed.

Rescue teams, including firefighters, the Red Cross and health authorities, were dispatched to the scene to assist the injured and recover bodies.

Cuenca Fire Chief Sixto Heras said some victims were found inside the bus while others were located in the river. Several of the injured were reported to be in critical condition.

Authorities said the death toll could rise as recovery operations continue. The cause of the accident remains under investigation, Xinhua news agency reported.

The road has been closed while rescue efforts are ongoing. Traffic accidents are a leading cause of death in Ecuador, often linked to speeding and driver error, authorities said.

Earlier on Nov 16, 2025, a bus crash in Simiatug, in central Ecuador, killed at least 12 people, the country's disaster agency said on social media, and injured at least 10.

The bus was driving an inter-provincial route between that cities of Simiatug and Ambato, the attorney general's office said in its own post.

Ecuador has one of the highest rates of road accidents in Latin America due to careless driving, speeding and badly maintained vehicles. There have been many deaths, including British nationals. In Ecuador: road conditions vary.

During the first three months of 2025, 4,759 traffic accidents were recorded in the country, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC). This represents a 2.24 per cent decrease compared to the same period last year.

The main cause continues to be lack of skill and recklessness behind the wheel. During this period alone, 1,814 accidents were linked to human error.

Although there was a slight decrease in the number of incidents, 565 people were reported dead between January and March, equating to a death rate of 11.87 per 100 registered accidents. The majorityâ??61.88 per centâ??occurred in urban areas.

/IANS