A tour bus crash on Portugal’s Madeira Island has killed 28 people, most of them German tourists, an official says.

Local mayor Filipe Sousa told cable news channel SIC the victims included 17 women and 11 men.

He said the bus carrying 55 people rolled down a steep hillside on Wednesday after veering off the road on a bend east of the capital, Funchal.

Local television showed bodies scattered over the rural hillside next to the Atlantic Ocean.

Residents said the weather was fine at the time of the accident, which happened in daylight in the early evening. Madeira is a popular vacation destination for Europeans.

Authorities say they are investigating the possible cause.