9 die, 45 injured in Morocco bus wreck

A bus skidded off a treacherous mountain road in northern Morocco on Saturday, killing nine people and injuring 45 others, hospital officials said.

The accident occurred outside the town of Khenifra, 100 miles southeast of the capital, Rabat. It was apparently caused by high speeds and a mechanical problem, the official MAP news agency reported.

Several ambulances rushed to the scene to evacuate the wounded to a hospital in Meknes, the nearest large city, MAP said. It did not provide any details about the passengers.

Officials at the hospital said they were not authorized to give information about the victims to the media.