At least 7 killed in bus crash carrying tourists in Cuba

(Reuters)

A government-owned bus carrying tourists in eastern Cuba crashed Thursday, killing at least seven and injuring dozens of others, according to multiple reports.

Two Argentinians and one citizen each from France and Germany were killed, along with at least three locals. The injured were from the U.S., Britian, Canada, France, the Netherlands and Spain. A number of Cubans were also on the bus.

The dead ranged in age from 32 to 67, according to a tweet by Radio Guantánamo, which identified the injured U.S. citizen as Allison Alida Kemmer.

The accident happened between the eastern cities of Baracoa and Guantánamo. The bus was enroute to Havana from Baracoa when the accident occurred.

Witnesses said the driver tried to pass another car when he crashed. The driver told a different story, saying that he lost control on a slick road.

The Cuban military runs the bus company, Viazul, which tourists frequently use to get around the island nation.

Cuban highways are poorly lit, narrow, and rutted with huge potholes. There were 750 deaths and 7,999 injuries in 11,187 accidents last year in the country of 11 million. Thursday's wreck was the fourth major bus accident in a month.

More than 4,000 people have died in traffic accidents in Cuba since 2012, the BBC reported.

This story contains material from the Associated Press.