LIMA (AFP) - A Peruvian passenger bus plunged into a river bed on Friday (Jan 25), killing at least 10 people and injuring 30, rescue services said.

The bus was transporting about 50 passengers from Lima to Tarapoto, a 20-hour drive north, when it careened into the Huallaga, in a forested region less than halfway into the journey, according to local media.

"Until this moment 10 deaths are reported," the National Emergency Operations Center said on Twitter.

Nearly 2,700 people died in traffic accidents in Peru in 2016, according to official figures.

In February last year, a double-decker bus veered off a mountain road and plunged into a ravine in the country's south, killing at least 44 people.

One month earlier, a bus crashed into a ravine in Peru's central coastal area, leaving 52 dead.

(This story is developing)