(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-03-09 20:16

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- A train slammed into a bus at a rural Argentine rail crossing early Sunday, killing 18 people and leaving at least 47 others injured, authorities said.

The passenger bus was traveling from the Argentine capital to the South Atlantic beach resort of Mar del Plata when the accident occurred near Dolores, some 125 miles (200 kilometers) south of Buenos Aires, the government news agency Telam said.

Ambulances rushed the victims to area hospitals. Police said 18 people died and at least 47 others suffered multiple injuries. There was no immediate report on the cause. Television footage showed wreckage of the bus, including crumpled seats, scattered across the railway line.