Lima: At least 23 people lost their lives and 13 sustained injuries in a tragic bus accident in Peru on Tuesday. The incident occurred in a mountainous region, according to a statement by the country’s interior ministry on social media.
The bus, traveling through the Andean Ayacucho region, skidded off the highway at dusk. It overturned and plunged approximately 200 meters down a slope, as reported by Jhonny Rolando Valderrama, head of the highway protection division, to state news agency Andina.
“The accident took place on the Los Libertadores highway in Ayacucho in the south-central Andes,” said Valderrama. He added that rescue operations are still ongoing.
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Peru’s ground transportation superintendent, SUTRAN, confirmed in a statement that the bus belonged to the local company Turismo Molina Union SAC. An investigation into the cause of the accident has been initiated.
Efforts to reach company representatives for comment were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.
Deadly bus accidents are a frequent occurrence in Peru, where many buses navigate treacherous mountain roads and are often driven by inadequately trained drivers. Just last April, 25 people perished when a bus fell into a river in the northern Cajamarca region. Similarly, in September, at least 24 individuals died in a bus accident in the Anco region.
