At least 37 people were killed and dozens more injured after a bus plunged into a ravine in the mountainous Arequipa region of southern Peru, local authorities reported on Wednesday.
According to Walther Oporto, Arequipa’s regional health chief, 36 people died at the scene and another succumbed to injuries in hospital. The victims are among the deadliest in a series of bus accidents in recent years in Latin America, and this incident ranks among the worst in Peru’s history.
The injured include an eight-month-old baby and two other children, local authorities said. The bus company, Llamosas, has not yet commented on the accident.
Authorities reported that the bus was traveling on the highway from the coastal town of Chala to the Arequipa region when it collided with a van, sending the vehicle careening into a ravine approximately 200 meters (656 feet) deep.
Local government photos show the bus overturned at the bottom of the gully, surrounded by scattered car parts and passengers’ belongings. The Arequipa government said 26 people were being treated for injuries, three of them in serious condition.
