37 KILLED, 24 INJURED AS DOUBLE-DECKER BUS PLUNGES INTO RAVINE IN PERU

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

At least 37 people were killed and 24 others injured on Wednesday when a double-decker passenger bus plunged into a deep ravine after colliding with a pickup truck in Arequipa, southern Peru, authorities said.

The tragedy, one of the country’s worst road disasters in recent years, occurred at dawn along the Panamericana Sur highway, a major route linking Peru to Chile.

“We have a figure of 37 fatalities… in addition to 24 injured,” Walther Oporto, regional health manager of Arequipa, told AFP, adding that the death toll could rise as several victims remain in critical condition.

The ill-fated bus, operated by Llamosas Transport Company, had departed late Tuesday from Chala, a town in Caraveli province, en route to Arequipa — Peru’s second-largest city — with more than 60 passengers on board.

According to reports, the bus collided head-on with a pickup truck on a sharp curve before plunging into a 200-meter (650-foot) deep ravine, finally coming to rest on a riverbank.

Fire department spokesman Jack Paez said the rocky terrain was hampering rescue operations.
“This accident has brought grief to many families. There are elderly people and children among the injured,” he told TV Peru.

Distressing images released by the prosecutor’s office showed a priest praying beside bodies laid out along the riverbank as emergency responders worked at the scene.

Authorities confirmed that the bus driver died in the crash, while the pickup truck driver, who survived, has been detained for questioning.
“The necessary procedures will be carried out to determine his responsibility in the accident,” the Arequipa prosecutor’s office stated on Facebook.

The Ministry of the Interior said that at least two dozen police officers were coordinating with firefighters in rescuing survivors, evacuating the injured, and recovering bodies.

Deadly traffic accidents are tragically common in Peru, often linked to speeding, reckless driving, poor road infrastructure, and weak traffic enforcement. The country’s mountainous terrain also makes many highways perilous.

In a similar incident in February 2018, near the same stretch of highway, 44 people were killed when a bus plunged into a river.

According to government data, 3,173 people died on Peruvian roads in 2024 alone.