At least 12 people were killed and 20 others were injured Tuesday when a bus carrying dozens of Royal Caribbean cruise ship passengers crashed near Mayan ruins in Mexico.
“At least one Canadian family was affected by the bus crash in eastern Mexico,” Global Affairs Canada said, although they were not able to provide any news on whether any other Canadians were on board when the bus crashed.
Quintana Roo state Civil Defence spokesman Vicente Martin says that at least seven Americans and two citizens of Sweden are among the injured. Authorities haven’t yet established the nationalities of the dead.
WATCH: Past coverage of fatal bus crashes
The passengers had disembarked from cruise ships at the port Mahahual in the Costa Maya area Tuesday morning and boarded the bus on a day trip to the Chacchoben Mayan ruins. While travelling on the Cafetal-Mahahual Highway the driver lost control and the bus flipped onto its side.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
The injured were taken to local hospitals in nearby Bacalar and Chetumal areas.
Royal Caribbean Cruises says 27 of its guests were on the bus; they had been travelling on the ships Celebrity Equinox and Serenade of the Seas. In a tweet, the company said it was assisting affected guests with medical care and transportation.
The bus company involved, Costa Maya Mahahual said a guide and driver were also on board.
Costa Maya is located 160 kilometres south of Playa del Carmen.
A video from the scene shows a bus on its side as a person on a stretcher is loaded into an ambulance.
Canadians in need of assistance should contact the Consular Agency of Canada in Playa del Carmen or email sos@international.gc.ca.
— With files from the Associated Press and the Canadian Press
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