Caracas: A bus crash left at least 20 people dead and 10 people injured in northern Venezuela`s Miranda state Monday, the media reported.

The crash occurred on a highway when the driver of the bus lost control and collided with a tree, Xinhua quoted

Venezuelan News Agency as saying in a report.

Miranda`s fire department immediately dispatched firefighters to help rescue passengers trapped in the wreckage, Victor Lira, director of Miranda`s civil protection agency, was quoted as saying.

Venezuelan authorities said they were launching an investigation into the tragedy with an objective to determine whether there were grounds for criminal proceedings.

The injured were taken to a nearby medical centre for treatment. So far, only 12 of the dead have been identified.