ALBAWABA- At least 37 people were killed and 24 others injured early Wednesday when a passenger bus plunged nearly 200 meters into a ravine along a winding Andean highway in southern Peru, officials said, marking one of the region’s deadliest road disasters in recent years.
The crash occurred around 4 a.m. on the Panamericana Sur highway, a major route linking Peru to Chile. Authorities said the bus, operated by the Llamosas transport company, was carrying about 60 passengers from the coastal town of Chala in Caravelí province toward the city of Arequipa when it collided head-on with a pickup truck on a sharp mountain curve.
Rescue teams battled darkness and rugged terrain to reach survivors, airlifting several to nearby hospitals. Walther Oporto, Arequipa’s regional health director, confirmed that 36 people died at the scene and another succumbed to injuries in the hospital.
The wounded, many suffering from fractures, burns, and internal trauma, are being treated at Honorio Delgado Regional Hospital in Arequipa.
President Dina Boluarte expressed condolences to the victims’ families in a statement on X, pledging a full investigation into the tragedy. Preliminary reports suggest that speeding, poor visibility, and driver fatigue may have contributed to the crash, though authorities said the role of the pickup truck remains under investigation.
In response, Peru’s Transport and Communications Ministry temporarily suspended Llamosas’ operating license pending a safety audit.
