37 dead after bus plunges into ravine in southern Peru
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Officials working at the scene of an accident in the mountainous Arequipa region of southern Peru.
PHOTO: X/@MININTERPERU
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- A bus accident in Arequipa, Peru, resulted in at least 37 deaths and dozens of injuries after plunging into a ravine.
- The bus, operated by Llamosas, crashed after striking a van on the highway, falling 200 meters into the ravine.
- Among the injured were children, and 26 people are receiving treatment, with three in serious condition, according to local authorities.
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LIMA – At least 37 people were killed and 24 injured in southern Peru on Nov 12 when a double-decker bus plunged into a ravine after colliding with a pickup truck, officials said.
The accident in Arequipa is one of the worst in recent years in the South American nation, where road fatalities are frequent.
It occurred at dawn along a stretch of the Panamericana Sur highway that connects Peru with Chile.
Mr Walther Oporto, the regional health manager of Arequipa, told AFP: “We have a figure of 37 fatalities... in addition to 24 injured.”
The death toll could rise as some people were seriously injured in the crash, he said by telephone.
The double-decker bus, operated by the Llamosas company, departed on the night of Nov 11 from Chala – a town in Caraveli province – and was headed for Arequipa, Peru’s second-largest city.
It was carrying more than 60 passengers, including children and elderly people.
The vehicle fell into a ravine about 200m deep after colliding head-on with the pickup truck on a bend, according to local media reports citing firefighters.
The bus rolled down the ravine and ended up on a riverbank.
Fire department spokesman Jack Paez said the rocky terrain was hampering rescue efforts involving about 30 police officers and firefighters.
“This accident... has brought grief to many families,” he told TV Peru.
A priest arrived at the scene and prayed over the bodies lined up on the riverbank, according to images from the prosecutor’s office.
“I ask for justice, that the full weight of the law be applied to the driver of the truck” thought to have caused the accident, a grieving relative who lost his father and brother told local media.
President Jose Jeri, in a message on social media platform X, extended condolences to those affected.
The truck’s driver, who survived, was detained after testing positive for alcohol, police chief Olger Benavides told reporters.
The bus driver was killed, the Llamosas transport company said.
Deadly traffic accidents are a common occurrence in Peru due to speeding, drink driving, poor road conditions, lack of signage and weak enforcement by the authorities.
The country’s mountainous topography can also make driving conditions perilous.
In February 2018, near the site of the Nov 12 accident, 44 people were killed after a bus plunged into the river below.
In 2024, 3,173 deaths were recorded on Peru’s roads. AFP
