QUITO, March 18 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were killed and 56 more injured when two passenger buses collided in Ecuador's coastal province of Guayas late on Saturday, the country's emergency services said.

A call to the emergency services, ECU 911, at 11:40 p.m. local time (0440 GMT Sunday) reported the accident and 18 ambulances were dispatched from the town of Samborondon in Guayas.

"Once on site, the rescue units from different services began the task of extracting the passengers from both buses, as they found themselves caught inside the vehicles," said a statement from ECU 911.

It added that, near the site of the crash, the Jujan-Tres Postes highway remained closed to traffic for over four hours while the emergency was attended to.

As part of the rescue efforts, medical personnel provided emergency care on site to the injured, who were then transported to hospitals and clinics in nearby towns.

Road accidents are one of the main causes of death in Ecuador, mainly due to excessive speed and reckless driving, according to road authorities.