COTONOU, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- A bus carrying 54 people plunged into a river in central Benin early Sunday, leaving one dead and 44 missing, the country's Ministry of the Interior and Public Security said.

The bus, traveling from Togo's capital Lome to Niger's capital Niamey, plunged into the Oueme River after the driver hit a bridge guardrail and lost control of the vehicle, according to Minister of the Interior and Public Security Alassane Seidou.

The Beninese government has activated an emergency plan, mobilizing all means for rescue efforts, and said that nine survivors in stable condition were hospitalized.

It offered condolences to the families of the deceased and said efforts were underway to find the missing and determine the cause of the incident. ■