At least 13 people died and 26 were injured in a mudslide along a stretch of highway in Bolivia's Yungas region, police said Tuesday.

 

 The incident occurred Monday afternoon some 200 km from here on the highway linking the capital with the city of Caranavi, highway patrol officer Julio Venegas was quoted as saying by the state-run ABI news agency.

 

 The mudslide buried a van and caused a bus to plunge into a ravine 40 metres deep in the sector known as Puente Leon.

 

 Ten of the bus passengers and three in the van died, and 26 others in both vehicles were injured.

 

 The bodies were transported to hospital and injured are being treated. 

 

 On average, road accidents in Bolivia result in about 1,000 deaths and 40,000 injuries per year, according to government figures.

 

IANS