Lisbon, April 18 (IANS) At least 28 people were killed and another 28 injured when a bus crashed on Portugal's Madeira Island, authorities said.

Most of the casualties were German tourists, Carmo Silva, a press officer for the Regional Health Department, told CNN on Wednesday. 

In total, 56 people were onboard the bus when it crashed, she said.

Claudia Veloso, a spokeswoman for Portugal's Interior Minister, confirmed that 28 people had died.

"The German Embassy in Lisbon is talking to local authorities and there possibly are German fatalities, but we cannot confirm at this moment," a German Foreign Ministry spokesperson told CNN.

According to Silva, the bus was going down a steep road when the driver apparently lost control and it went down a cliff. 

Madeira is located approximately 1,000 km off the Portuguese mainland.