3 dead, 2 missing after bus plunges into Spain river

(Update 1: Upgrades death toll, adds detail)

Pontevedra, Spain, Dec 25 (EFE).- Rescue teams were on Sunday searching for two people who are missing after a bus with seven people on board plunged into a river in northwest Spain late on Christmas Eve, killing at least three passengers.

The driver of the bus and a passenger were rescued from the wreckage and taken to hospital.

Search teams found a third body from the crash on Sunday, bringing the confirmed death toll from the crash to three

The vehicle, which belongs to the company Monbus and was en route to Pontevedra, in Spain’s Galicia, veered off a bridge and fell into the Lérez river late Saturday.

The accident occurred at around 9.19pm and authorities were first alerted by a passerby who saw the destroyed railing on the side of the road, but who did not locate a vehicle in the water.

Minutes later, someone from inside the bus phoned the emergency services, which allowed the rescue operation to get underway.

The search for missing people was temporarily called off in the early hours of the morning due to adverse conditions as the river swelled but was resumed at 9.30am on Christmas morning.

Emergency services said a fourth person could have gone missing in the accident. EFE

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