QUITO, April 12 (Xinhua) -- At least 4 people were killed and 16 injured after a bus overturned on a highway in southern Ecuador on Friday, reported the Attorney General's Office (FGE).

After the accident, the FGE ordered "urgent actions," including the removal of bodies for autopsies and the collection of evidence, said the agency on X, formerly Twitter.

The bus driver is currently under police custody, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the tragedy. Images and videos circulating on social media showed the overturned bus in a local river.

Ecuador's Minister of Sports Andres Guschmer said on X that the vehicle was carrying a delegation of the Sports Federation of Loja and some family members to attend a competition.

According to local media reports, the delegation included child taekwondo athletes aged 8-12, who were heading to the southern city of Cuenca to participate in an event scheduled for this weekend. ■