At least 28 people were killed when a tourist bus crashed on the Portuguese island of Madeira on Wednesday, local mayor Filipe Sousa told local media.

The regional protection service did not confirm the toll when questioned by AFP.

Images from the scene showed the wreckage of the bus which appears to have come off the road and rolled over. Around 50 people are believed to have been on board.

He said all the tourists on the bus were German but it was not clear if the fatalities occurred only in the bus.

The scene of the crash has been sealed off and the injured transferred to a hospital in the capital, Funchal, Lusa news agency said.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is flying to the island to visit the scene, the agency added.

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