At least 34 people were also injured on Monday after a bus plunged into a ravine in Peru. (Representative)
Lima:
A bus plunged off the edge of a narrow mountain road in southeastern Peru on Monday, killing 25 people, including two children, authorities said.
The accident happened before dawn as the bus traveled between two Andean towns through a 200-metre ravine in the Huancavelica region, a police official told AFP.
“The death toll stands at 25 dead and 34 injured,” Defense Minister Jorge Chavez said.
Images from the scene showed the battered bus lying on its side near a river, with debris and personal items strewn about.
Police and rescue workers combed the scene as onlookers watched from the narrow dirt road above.
President Dina Boluarte expressed her condolences to the loved ones of the victims before the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
An accident in the same region last month left thirteen people dead and five seriously injured.
Accidents often occur along Peruvian highways due to excessive speed, poor road conditions, lack of signage and poor enforcement of traffic rules.
The World Health Organization estimated 4,414 road deaths in Peru in 2019, or 13.6 per 100,000 inhabitants.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
