( AP )- A passenger train slammed into a bus at a rural Argentine rail crossing before dawn Sunday, killing 18 people and leaving at least 47 others injured, authorities said.
The bus was traveling from the Argentine capital to the South Atlantic beach resort of Mar del Plata when the accident occurred near Dolores, some 125 miles south of Buenos Aires, the government news agency Telam said.
Television footage showed wreckage of the bus, including crumpled seats, scattered across the railway line after the accident, which happened around 2 a.m. Debris, including children's clothing and beach chairs, was spread all about.
Roberto Capiel , a public health official, told Telam that 47 people with various injuries were taken to a local hospital. He said nine of the victims remained in critical condition.
Police said the bus was carrying 61 passengers and two drivers and that most of the victims were aboard the bus. Authorities had no reports of injuries aboard the train and local reports said most rail passengers were put on buses to continue on to the train's destination.
On Sunday, emergency crews picked through the wreckage of the bus, which was toppled on its side beside the train.