SANTIAGO, March 23: Twelve elderly US tourists died in a road accident in northern Chile this week when the minibus they were travelling in plunged into a ravine, Chilean authorities said on Thursday. The bus was taking the US tourists from a cruise ship anchored in Arica, on the northern border with Peru, to the Lauca National Park, located some 160kms to the east in the Andes.

Authorities said four people — two US tourists and their Chilean driver and tour guide — had survived the accident with injuries.

The crash victims’ bodies are expected to be transported to Lima in preparation for repatriation to the United States.

“The embassy is working very closely with Chilean authorities,” said John Vance, a spokesman for the US mission here.—AFP