At least 33 people were killed in an accident in Panama when a bus carrying more than 60 migrants went off a cliff early Wednesday morning, Reuters reported, citing a spokesman for the country's migration authorities.

The migrant bus was on its way to a shelter located in the western coastal province of Chiriqui, which borders Costa Rica.

Maria Isabel Saravia, deputy director of Panama's migration department, confirmed to the press that at least 33 passengers on the bus died in the accident, without specifying the nationalities of the victims.

The Panamanian government is providing medical assistance to the injured, President Laurentino Cortizo wrote on Twitter.