DHAKA: A tour bus has plunged off a cliff in southern Brazil, killing at least 32 people.

Police say the bus, carrying about 50 people, fell down the 400m (1,300ft) cliff near the city of Joinville in Santa Catarina state.

Rescue teams are on site and police say there are still people trapped.

The cause of the accident is not clear. However, according to Brazil's G1 news website, the driver may have lost control of the bus on a bend.

The bus fell into a wooded ravine as night fell and difficult access to the site was hampering the rescue effort, a local government spokesman told media.

The mountainous area is a popular tourist attraction.

A rescue helicopter was sent to the scene but could not land due to the terrain, local media reported.

However, emergency crews said 12 survivors had been taken to hospitals in Joinville and Campo Alegre.

"There are people out there, on the hill, in the bus, trapped in the wreckage." Colonel Nelson Coelho said in a statement.

"But the chances of finding someone alive are pretty slim."

Source: BBC

BDST: 0815 HRS, MAR 14, 2015