British tourists injured in Cuba coach crash

6 July 2013 Last updated at 03:33 GMT

British tourists injured in Cuba coach crash

All 16 tourists were taken to hospital after the crash

Two British women tourists are in hospital after a coach crashed in
southern Cuba.

Cuban state media say Irish, Russian, Dutch, Czech and Philippine
nationals were also among the 16 passengers on the bus, which overturned
near the city of Cienfuegos on Thursday evening.

Three women are still in hospital, including the two Britons, one of
whom is in intensive care.

The hospital said the condition of all three women was stable.

All the tourists on the bus were taken to hospital in Cienfuegos but
most have now been discharged.

A Cuban driver and two guides were also on the vehicle at the time.

It is not yet known what caused the bus to swerve off the road on its
way from the colonial town of Trinidad to the beach resort of Varadero.

The BBC's Cuba correspondent Sarah Rainsford said it is the height of
the tourist season and coaches are the main means of moving around the
island.

Most roads are poorly maintained and dangers include large, unmarked
potholes, and untethered animals although major accidents are relatively
rare, our correspondent added.

A spokesman for the British Embassy in Havana said it was raining at the
time of the crash and an official investigation had now been launched.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "Our embassy in Havana is in close
contact with local authorities. Consular officials are on their way to
the area to provide assistance if needed."

Source: "BBC News - British tourists injured in Cuba coach crash" -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23208899