QUITO, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- A total of 33 people were killed and another 291 injured in 383 traffic accidents over the carnival holidays in Ecuador, the Ministry of Transport and Public Works said Thursday.

The accidents, which took place between Feb. 10 and Feb. 13, marked a 27 percent drop compared with last year, the ministry said in a statement.

"The figure dropped from 524 to 383 accidents in 2018," officials said, adding that the number of fatalities and injuries also fell by 23 and 33, respectively.

"These figures show that the cooperation of citizens is fundamental to successfully reducing the number of victims (by) 50 percent by 2020, the goal the United Nations proposed as part of the Decade (2011-2020) of Action for Road Safety," the ministry said.

Traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of deaths in Ecuador.