19 killed in crash of bus in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — A passenger bus flipped over on an Andean highway in Argentina, killing 19 of the 42 people aboard, police said Saturday.

Another 23 people were injured in the accident about 745 miles west of the Argentine capital.

There were 40 passengers and two drivers in the vehicle when the accident occurred.

The bus was traveling from the Argentine city of Mendoza to Santiago, Chile, just after midnight Saturday on Route 7 near the Aconcagua Provincial Park, which includes the highest mountain in the Americas.

Survivors were quoted by the Clarin newspaper in Buenos Aires as saying that the bus was traveling at a high speed when it went into a curve.

Some of the injured were transported to the nearby community of Uspallata for medical care, while others were taken to the provincial capital, Mendoza.

The highway was closed for several hours, but later opened to traffic.

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