At least 29 people have been killed after a tour bus carrying German tourists crashed on the Portuguese island of Madeira.
The vehicle was carrying 55 people when it veered off a steep narrow road and rolled down a steep hillside near the Quinta Splendida Hotel in Canico.
Local mayor Filipe Sousa said 18 women and 11 men were among the dead.
Some 27 people, including the Portuguese driver and a local tour guide, were injured and taken to hospital.
The accident happened around 6.30pm local time (5.30pm Irish time).
"No words"
Mr Sousa told local media: “I have no words to describe what happened. I cannot face the suffering of these people.”
He also said that the bus struck at least one house during the crash.
Several ambulances were at the scene as the vehicle lay on its side on a bank next to a small road and surrounded by rescuers.
The bus itself was five years old and had no issues on its record.
"Accident black-spot”
Local MP Roberto Almada said the area is known as an “accident black-spot.”
“Before the spot where the coach went off the road, there's a very sharp bend that goes from west to east and there's been many accidents there in the past,” he said.
“It's a very difficult area for drivers, especially drivers of larger vehicles.”
A spokesperson for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: “We are in deepest sorrow over all those who lost their lives in the bus crash.”
“Our thoughts are with the injured.”
