- Passengers from Celebrity Equinox and Serenade of the Seas ships were on the bus heading to ruins at Chacchoben Tuesday
- Bus operated by Costa Maya Mahahual flipped over on a two-lane highway
- Seven Americans and two citizens of Sweden are said to be among the injured
- US Embassy in Mexico is working with local authorities to determine whether American citizens were among the fatalities
At least 12 passengers when a tour bus carrying cruise ship passengers to Mayan ruins in eastern Mexico flipped over on a highway early Tuesday.
Seven Americans and two citizens of Sweden are among the injured, according to Quintana Roo state Civil Defense spokesman Vicente Martin, who said authorities haven’t yet established the nationalities of the deceased.
Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises confirmed in a statement that passengers from the Celebrity Equinox and Serenade of the Seas were on the overturned bus.
Deadly crash: This video frame shows an injured tourist lying on the road next to the overturned bus she was traveling in, in Mahagual, Quintana Roo state, Mexico, Tuesday
A spokesman from the US Embassy in Mexico says diplomats are working with local authorities to determine whether American citizens were among the fatalities.
Video images from the scene showed the vehicle resting on its side in vegetation off the two-lane highway, with some survivors lying on the pavement while others walked around.
Martin said the crash occurred as the bus was on its way to the ruins at Chacchoben, about 110 miles south of the popular resort town of Tulum.
The cause of the accident was under investigation.
Costa Maya Mahahual, the bus company involved, said in a statement that the bus was carrying tourists who had arrived to the coastal town of Mahahual aboard a cruise ship.
In addition to the tourists, a guide and driver were aboard the bus, the company said.