BUENOS AIRES, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Argentine Education Minister Alberto Sileoni on Tuesday lamented the losses of 11 teachers who died in a road crash in the country's north-western province of Santiago del Estero earlier in the day.
A minibus carrying the school teachers collided with an oil tanker on a highway on Tuesday morning, killing at least 11 teachers, authorities said.
In a communique, the minister expressed "condolences and solidarity with the relatives of the victims of the tragic accident that occurred in Santiago del Estero."
"As an educator, I am especially moved by the deaths of the rural teachers, who represent Argentina's 1 million teachers who day in and day out devote their all into the task of teaching and fulfill their responsibilities with commitment both inside and outside the classroom," he said.
Authorities initially said 10 teachers died in a head-on collision between a state oil company tanker truck and the minibus, but later raised the death number to 11. They also reported the vehicles had not crashed head on as announced earlier, but "were traveling in the same direction."
"The truck may have invaded the other lane when its load shifted at the moment he hit the breaks at an intersection," the authorities said.
State oil firm YPF also issued a statement, saying it "deeply lamented the loss of lives caused by the accident that occurred this morning in El Simbol, Santiago del Estero province, in which a tanker truck operated by the company was involved."
The YPF said it is launching its own investigation into the crash.
A number of others in the minibus, which overturned in the mishap, were injured, with several in serious condition, local newspaper Nuevo Diario quoted witnesses and rescuers as saying.
The injured have been rushed by ambulances to a nearby hospital, it added.
The teachers in the minibus were heading to the capital city of Santiago del Estero province for a training program, according to the reports.
Firefighters and police were combing the site in an effort to find the cause of the accident.
According to the daily Panorama, the crash is the second worst road accident ever registered in Santiago del Estero in terms of the number of victims.
On Nov. 3, 2010, a minibus turned over, killing 13 passengers.
