A bus plunged into a ravine early yesterday morning after colliding with a pickup truck on a highway in southern Peru, leaving at least 37 dead and 13 injured, authorities reported.
The Llamosas company bus went off the road on a curve and fell more than 200 meters to the banks of the Ocoña River in the Arequipa region. The regional health director, Walther Oporto, told local media that the death toll had reached 37, with one person dying en route to the hospital.
The bus had departed from the city of Chala, an area of intense mining activity, and was headed to the city of Arequipa.
The accident occurred near the same area where another accident in 2018 left 44 dead. Images from local television stations show firefighters and police rescuing passengers near small black crosses placed in memory of those who died seven years ago. In Peru, fatal road accidents are frequent.
