Scores killed in bus accident in Arequipa region

A bus crash in Peru’s southern Arequipa region resulted in at least 37 people being killed, according to authorities.

The accident occurred when a double-decker bus collided with a pickup truck, causing the bus to plunge into a 200-meter-deep ravine. This is one of the deadliest bus accidents ever recorded in Peru, a country where road fatalities are frequent.

Local authorities reported that 36 people died at the scene and that one more person later died from their injuries.

There were about 60 people aboard the bus.

The bus was traveling from Chala, a town in Peru’s Caraveli province, to Arequipa, the country’s second-largest city, when the accident happened. Footage from the scene showed the bus upside down with passengers’ belongings scattered around it.

Truck driver arrested

An eight-month-old baby and two other children are among the 26 injuries, three of them being in serious condition.

Fire department spokesman Jack Paez told local outlet TV Peru that the rocky area makes the rescue efforts more difficult, adding that the accident “has brought grief to many families.”

Peru’s Interior Ministry said police officers were coordinating the rescue efforts with firefighters, with the focus being on “rescuing people, evacuating the injured and recovering bodies.”

The local prosecution said that an investigation to determine the truck driver’s responsibility will take place. The driver, who survived the accident, was apprehended on site. The bus driver was among the accident’s victims.