Colombia ? A bus carrying passengers on the start of the Easter holiday crashed Thursday in northern Colombia, igniting a blaze that killed 27 people, including six children, police said.

A rear tire blew out on the bus as it headed to the Caribbean tourist port of Santa Marta from Dibulla, a town 370 miles north of the capital Bogota. The vehicle flipped over and the fuel tank exploded, enveloping the bus in flames, police Gen. Guillermo Aranda told Caracol radio.

He said the crash killed 21 adults and six children.

Police initially said the vehicle was a truck, but later described it as a bus that had been modified to carry up to 45 passengers as well as cargo. They did not say how many people were aboard.

Many Colombians started their vacations on Thursday, a public holiday, in time for Easter celebrations in this mainly Roman Catholic country. Many head to places like Santa Marta, which is known for its beaches.