A Colombian bus ferry has crashed into a mountain, killing three passengers and a crew member and injuring at least 16 others, authorities said.

The National Transportation Safety Board said the bus carrying the passengers and crew crashed in Puerto Valleria state on the island of Colima late Wednesday.

The passengers were taken to hospitals in the city of Cartagena and in the provincial capital, San Juan.

Officials in the capital said the ferry crashed near a residential area where residents were preparing to celebrate the holiday season.

Authorities say the passengers were travelling in a bus from the state capital, Cartagua, to Puerto Vallara.

Colombia has seen frequent, high-profile disasters.

In 2015, at least 19 people died in a fire that erupted when a small oil tanker carrying crude oil ran aground on a remote island.