阿根廷严重车祸致43名宪兵死亡

A national day of mourning has been declared in Argentina after a bus crash in the north of the country claimed the lives of at least 43 border patrol officers.

It was in the early hours of Monday that the bus carrying border police officers veered off a bridge in the north of Argentina, falling more than 15 meters.

Most aboard were killed, but at least eight men were rescued and taken to hospitals for treatment.

The bus was part of a convoy taking officers to the northern province of Salta to increase security for expected social protests towards the end of the year.

The cause of the accident is not yet clear, thought the local mayor admitted the roadway used is in very poor condition, and that many traveling through the area try to avoid it.

President Mauricio Macri was presenting new economic measures at the start of his first full week in office. He offered his condolences to the families of the victims and also used the occasion to call for safety improvements to Argentina's national highways.

Macri decreed a day of national mourning. A spokesperson for the border police said this accident is the forces' largest loss of life.