Peru coach crash: 24 killed as bus falls into ravine
A tragic incident in Peru has resulted in the loss of at least 24 lives, with 21 individuals sustaining injuries, following a coach accident. This inter-city coach, which was traveling through the Andes mountains overnight, was en route between Huancayo and Huanta when it tragically plunged into a ravine approximately 200 meters deep (equivalent to 650 feet).
Peru has a history of coach accidents, particularly during nighttime journeys on mountainous roads. Official data indicates that in 2022 alone, over 3,300 individuals lost their lives in traffic accidents in this Andean nation.
As of now, authorities have not disclosed the possible cause of the coach veering off the road and into the ravine, situated in the area known as Huaccoto in the high Andes mountains.
However, the mayor of a nearby town mentioned on local radio that the road where the accident occurred had not undergone repairs since it was damaged in a landslide approximately a month ago.
Firefighters from the towns of Huanta and the Churcampa province swiftly responded to the accident site. Local residents were the first to arrive and discovered survivors among the passengers inside the vehicle.
They said that the coach had come to rest in some bushes, whose branches prevented it from being washed away by the nearby river.
Police and firefighters managed to free the survivors and take them to the nearest hospitals.
