Bus crashes in northern Argentina, killing 43 policemen

Paramedics carry an injured person on a stretcher following a bus crash in Argentina's northern province of Salta, December 14, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

BUENOS AIRES - A deadly bus crash killed at least 43 police officers in Argentina after it rammed through a bridge into a dried-up riverbed in the north of the country early on Monday, according to local authorities.

Early reports from emergency response teams in the province of Salta state said that the bus was carrying 51 people and eight have been hospitalized. A preliminary investigation showed that the bus may have a blow-out, causing it to steer out of control off the bridge.

Pictures of the crash site, near the town of Rosario de la Frontera, showed the bus fell about 25 meters and landed on its roof. The bus belonged to Argentina's military police force, and was traveling between the towns of Santiago del Estero and San Salvador de Jujuy.

Gustavo Solis, mayor of Rosario de la Frontera, told the press that the stretch of road where the accident happened was notoriously bad. "The road is completely deteriorated. We try not to travel through the area at night," he was quoted as saying.

Argentina's President Mauricio Macri sent his condolences to the families of the deceased, and added that the thoughts of all Argentinean people were with them.