BOGOTA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- A bus crashed on its way to the Caribbean tourist port of Santa Marta in northern Colombia on Thursday, killing 27 people, including six children, local police said.

    A rear tire blew out on the bus, causing the vehicle to flip over, and the fuel tank exploded, enveloping the bus in flames, local Caracol radio quoted police General Guillermo Aranda as saying.

    The crash killed 21 adults and six children. The bus had been modified to carry up to 45 passengers as well as cargo, although the number of people aboard the bus remained unknown, Aranda said.

    Colombians began their Easter holidays on Thursday, and lots of people heading for places like Santa Marta, which is famous for its beaches. However, traffic accidents have become a serious problem for this mainly Roman Catholic country, since overloaded buses and cars use winding roads and mountainous highways.