A total of 24 people died on the scene and two more later in hospital, said Alvaro Escobar, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office in Cundinmarca department.

The bus was heading from Bogota to the city of Cali, some 500 kilometers (310 miles) to the southwest, highway police commander Francisco Patino said.

Witnesses said the accident was prompted by faulty brakes, but police were still investigating the cause.

The initial toll had been given as 16 dead.