At least 25 dead in Peru after bus plunges into ravine
- Bus with more than 50 passengers crashed down a slope into a river at night
- Accidents are common along Peru’s precarious roads, with 3,100 deaths last year
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At least 25 people died and more than a dozen were injured when a bus plunged into a ravine from a mountain road in northern Peru, local authorities said on Monday.
Local official Olga Bobadilla told RPP radio the incident late on Sunday happened on a potholed dirt road in the Andean region of Cajamarca, “and the bus fell into an abyss” some 200 metres (some 650ft) deep.
The toll was updated from an initial 23 to 25 later in the day.
The bus with more than 50 passengers ended up on the edge of a river, and some of those on board were swept away by the water, municipal official Jaime Herrera said.
Rescuers and firefighters were at the scene of the crash, from where the injured have been evacuated to hospital.
The Celendin municipality declared 48 hours of mourning as dozens of people, many crying, gathered at a police station near the accident scene, desperate for news of their loved ones.
Accidents are frequent on Peruvian roads due to speeding, poor road conditions, lack of signs and poor enforcement of traffic rules.
Last year, the country registered more than 3,100 deaths from traffic accidents.
Authorities are investigating whether the bus was roadworthy.
