<p>Seven children were among the dead, a spokesman for the Ecuadoran Red Cross, Fernando Gandarillas, told AFP.<br /><br />Rescue officials said around 30 passengers survived, but were injured, some of them badly.<br /><br />"There's been a very serious accident with approximately 41 people killed," National Transport Council (CNT) director Ricardo Anton told reporters. Earlier reports put the death toll at 35.<br /><br />Gandarillas said the bus had been travelling from the capital Quito to the eastern towns of Chone and San Isidro, a trip of more than 250 kms, when it fell into a ravine as it negotiated a descent.<br /><br />A police chief from a nearby town of El Carmen, Diego Iniguez, told media the bus had been filled over capacity and appeared to have experienced a gearbox problem before the driver lost control yesterday.<br /><br />The national emergency service said the dead included seven children and 13 women. At least 31 other passengers were hurt.</p>.<p>President Rafael Correa regretted the loss of life.<br /><br />"It's a well-designed highway," he told a Christmas meeting with his staff, adding that the accident was due to "the irresponsibility of the driver who crashed with more than 70 passengers" on board.<br /><br />"He picked up passengers along the road, which is prohibited," Correa added.<br /><br />One survivor told television station Ecuavisa that, just before the accident, a woman at the front of the bus started screaming that the driver "can't shift gears."<br /><br />He said the driver appeared to attempt to keep control of the vehicle, but failed and the bus rolled over for some 200 meters before hitting a tree then dropping into the ravine.<br /><br />Another survivor, Juan Pablo Alcivar, told Radio Quito how the bus's gears were heard grinding as the driver tried to downshift.</p>.<p>The police traffic accident service said it was at the scene of the carnage to try to determine what went wrong.</p>.<p>The injured were taken to several hospitals in the area, while the bodies were piled up inside police vans and delivered to morgues. </p>
<p>Seven children were among the dead, a spokesman for the Ecuadoran Red Cross, Fernando Gandarillas, told AFP.<br /><br />Rescue officials said around 30 passengers survived, but were injured, some of them badly.<br /><br />"There's been a very serious accident with approximately 41 people killed," National Transport Council (CNT) director Ricardo Anton told reporters. Earlier reports put the death toll at 35.<br /><br />Gandarillas said the bus had been travelling from the capital Quito to the eastern towns of Chone and San Isidro, a trip of more than 250 kms, when it fell into a ravine as it negotiated a descent.<br /><br />A police chief from a nearby town of El Carmen, Diego Iniguez, told media the bus had been filled over capacity and appeared to have experienced a gearbox problem before the driver lost control yesterday.<br /><br />The national emergency service said the dead included seven children and 13 women. At least 31 other passengers were hurt.</p>.<p>President Rafael Correa regretted the loss of life.<br /><br />"It's a well-designed highway," he told a Christmas meeting with his staff, adding that the accident was due to "the irresponsibility of the driver who crashed with more than 70 passengers" on board.<br /><br />"He picked up passengers along the road, which is prohibited," Correa added.<br /><br />One survivor told television station Ecuavisa that, just before the accident, a woman at the front of the bus started screaming that the driver "can't shift gears."<br /><br />He said the driver appeared to attempt to keep control of the vehicle, but failed and the bus rolled over for some 200 meters before hitting a tree then dropping into the ravine.<br /><br />Another survivor, Juan Pablo Alcivar, told Radio Quito how the bus's gears were heard grinding as the driver tried to downshift.</p>.<p>The police traffic accident service said it was at the scene of the carnage to try to determine what went wrong.</p>.<p>The injured were taken to several hospitals in the area, while the bodies were piled up inside police vans and delivered to morgues. </p>