Fourteen died and 16 others were injured on Saturday when a bus plunged into a ravine in northern Albania.

Albanian authorities said that the bus carried 35 passengers on board. It was travelling from capital Tirana to Fushe Arrez, 70 kilometres north of Tirana, when it veered off the mountain road and dropped into a river 300 metres below at about 5 p.m. local time.

Police said a sudden downpour was the cause of the accident.

The injured were brought by helicopters to hospitals in Tirana and the northern city of Shkodra.

President Bamir Topi and Prime Minister Sali Berisha visited the injured at the Tirana hospital and promised urgent assistance.

"I am deeply saddened by this tragedy. I extend the most sincere condolences to the families of the victims, and my heart goes out to them at these difficult moments. I wish the injured will recover soon," Topi said the Military Hospital in Tirana.

The government has declared Sunday a day of national mourning.