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Guatemala bus plunges off cliff killing 37


    GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - A crowded bus plunged off a cliff into a deep ravine in Guatemala on Friday, killing 37 people and injuring 25, emergency workers said.

    The bus was packed with people travelling to the village ofChiquimulilla in southern Guatemala when it skidded off theedge as it sped around a bend, said Mynor Rodas, a spokesmanfor the municipal fire department.

    "It went straight into the ravine," Mynor said.

    The injured were taken to nearby hospitals, he said.

    In rural Guatemala, peasants often travel long distances onovercrowded, rickety school buses to work as day labourers onagricultural plantations. Fatal accidents are common on thedangerous, badly maintained roads.

    (Reporting by Herbert Hernandez; Editing by JohnO'Callaghan)