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Twenty nine people died after a coach carrying more than 50 passengers crashed on the Portuguese holiday island of Madeira.

The coach is understood to have been full of German tourists when it veered off the road and smashed onto the top of a house this afternoon in Canico at 6.30pm local time.

Filipe Sousa, mayor of Santa Cruz, confirmed 29 people have died.

He said: "I have no words to describe what happened. I cannot face the suffering of these people."

The casualties have been described as 11 men and 18 women.

Four of the dead are understood not to have been on the coach, which was carrying 55 people in total.

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(Image: AFP/Getty Images) (Image: AFP/Getty Images)

Media sources in Madeira claim the driver lost control of the vehicle on a bend, however, the cause of the crash has yet to be confirmed.

A local journalist also said in an interview with Portuguese TV station SIC that investigators were looking at a possible mechanical failure and hinted at a problem with the brakes.

Local residents said the weather was fine at the time of the accident, which happened while it was still light, in the early evening.

Both the Portuguese driver and tour guide were hurt although the mayor could not confirm the severity of their injuries, reports Diario De Noticias.

There were no early reports of any British or Irish among the dead or injured.

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said: "We are seeking information from the authorities in Portugal about a bus crash in Madeira, and are ready to support any British people who require assistance"

(Image: HOMEM GOUVEIA/EPA-EFE/REX) (Image: AFP/Getty Images) (Image: AFP/Getty Images)

Pictures from the scene show the vehicle on its side. Video also captured people being carried away on stretchers by firefighters.

It is understood passengers are still being removed from the coach, which belonged to a Madeiran company reportedly chartered by a travel firm on the island called Travel One.

The incident happened near a botanical garden in the hotel district in Caniço, a quiet coastal community in the south-east of Madeira known as Caniço de Baixo.

At least 14 ambulances are said to be at the scene, near the Quinta Splendida Wellness & Botanical Garden hotel.

(Image: HOMEM GOUVEIA/EPA-EFE/REX) (Image: AFP/Getty Images)

A massive cordon has been set up, while shocked locals have gathered nearby.

A receptionist at Quinta Splendida Wellness & Botanical Garden, which is a hotel set in a large expense of landscaped botanical gardens, confirmed the incident had happened very near to the hotel.

Distressing video showed the walking wounded being helped away from the scene by emergency responders.

Several survivors were sat by the side of the road.

(Image: AFP/Getty Images) (Image: AFP/Getty Images)

The coach was heading to Funchal and was carrying 55 passengers and a guide.

Regional MP Roberto Almada described the area where the coach went off the road as an “accident blackspot.”

He said: “This is an area that is relatively close to the town of Canico.

“Before the spot where the coach went off the road, there’s a very sharp bend that goes from west to east and there’s been many accidents there in the past.

(Image: CM Jornal) (Image: CM Jornal)

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“It’s a very difficult area for drivers, especially drivers of larger vehicles.”

Although it was initially announced Portuguese President Marcelo de Sousa would travel to Madeira on a military jet, it later emerged the trip had been suspended for the time being because the plane was needed to transport casualties.

He told journalists: "The priority is to treat victims, not my trip to Madeira.”

He added to SIC TV that some of the victims were from Madeira but most were German.

(Image: CM Jornal) (Image: CM Jornal)

Prime Minister of Portugal António Costa tweeted: "It was with profound regret that I had learned of the tragic accident in Madeira. All the families involved transmit, on behalf of the Portuguese Government, the most felt condolences.

"I also want to send a word of consternation and support to the Madeirans. I have also had the opportunity to convey the vow of grief to Chancellor Angela Merkel at this difficult time."

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) added: "We are seeking information from the authorities in Portugal about a bus crash in Madeira, and are ready to support any British people who require assistance".