On Wednesday, November 12, a passenger bus collided with another vehicle in southern Peru and plunged into a deep gorge, resulting in at least 37 deaths and dozens of injuries.
According to Walter Oporto, the director of the Arequipa Regional Health Bureau, citing firefighters at the scene of the accident, the incident resulted in 36 immediate deaths, with one more person succumbing to injuries at the hospital.
Oporto also mentioned that an additional 24 individuals were injured in the tragic accident.
Oporto informed local radio station RPP that the bus collided with a pickup truck, veered off the road, plummeted over 200 meters (more than 650 feet) into the deep ravine, and eventually overturned on the banks of the Ocona River.
Reports from Agence France-Presse indicated that the bus operated by the Llamosas company was en route from Chala in the Caraveli province to Arequipa city, carrying 60 passengers.
According to the Associated Press, the accident took place on the Panamericana Sur highway in the Ocona area of Arequipa city.
Fatal bus accidents are not uncommon in Peru. The cause of this latest incident remains unclear, but authorities have previously stated that reckless driving and speeding are primary factors contributing to such accidents.
In August of this year, a bus overturned on a highway, resulting in 10 fatalities; in July, another bus traveling from Lima to the Peruvian Amazon region overturned, causing at least 18 deaths and injuring 48 people; and in January, a bus plunged into a river, leading to at least 6 deaths and 32 injuries.
Official data from the Death Information System shows that in 2024, approximately 3,173 people died in traffic accidents in this South American country.