La Paz  - At least 17 people died, three remained missing and 15 were injured as a bus crashed in Bolivia in the early hours of Sunday, the country's highway patrol confirmed.

The bus fell some 200 metres down a ravine in the winding road between La Asunta and Chulumani, some 170 kilometres north-west of La Paz.

The bus was headed for La Paz and crashed in the area of the Yungas, valleys which specialize in the production of coca leaves and citrus fruits for the markets in Bolivia's administrative capital. (dpa)