AT LEAST 35, and possibly over 40, people have been killed in Ecuador when their bus veered off road and fell down a ravine at least 1,100 feet in depth.

The bus had been bringing travellers from Quito, the country’s capital, to the eastern towns of Chone and San Isidro when it experienced a gearbox problem and the driver lost control of the vehicle.

The Daily Telegraph quotes one survivor as hearing the driver shout that he ‘couldn’t change gears’, while others heard grinding noises coming from the bus itself.

The vehicle careered out of control before hitting a number of trees and then plunging off the ravine, it is thought.

Sky News suggests that Red Cross workers believe heavy rain may also have been a factor.

AFP adds that the bus was likely overcrowded, and that it is thought the driver had stopped on the highway to pick up more passengers – an act that is considered illegal.

At least eight of those confirmed dead so far are children. The death toll is likely to rise, with another 30 passengers hospitalised, and some in a serious condition.

The passengers were taking part in the traditional Ecuadorian Christmas Eve exodus, when workers in the largely Catholic country leave the capital city to return home to their native towns and villages for the holiday season.