At least 37 people were killed and 24 injured in southern Peru on Wednesday when a double-decker bus plunged into a ravine after colliding with a pickup truck, officials said.The accident in Arequipa is one of the worst in recent years in the South American nation, where road fatalities are frequent.It occurred at dawn along a stretch of the Panamericana Sur highway that connects Peru with Chile.“We have a figure of 37 fatalities…in addition to 24 injured,” Walther Oporto, the regional health manager of Arequipa, told AFP.The death toll could rise as some people were seriously injured in the crash, he said by telephone.The double-decker bus, operated by the Llamosas company, had departed on Tuesday night from Chala, a town in Caraveli province, and was headed for Arequipa, Peru’s second-largest city. It was carrying more than 60 passengers, including children and elderly people.The vehicle fell into a ravine approximately 200 meters (650 feet) deep after colliding head-on with the pickup on a bend, according to local media reports citing firefighters. The bus rolled down the ravine and ended up on a riverbank.– ‘Grief to many’ –Fire department spokesman Jack Paez said the rocky terrain was hampering rescue efforts involving about 30 police officers and firefighters.“This accident…has brought grief to many families,” he told TV Peru.A priest arrived at the scene and prayed over the bodies lined up on the riverbank, according to images from the prosecutor’s office. “I ask for justice, that the full weight of the law be applied to the driver of the truck” thought to have caused the accident, a grieving relative who lost his father and brother told local media.President Jose Jeri, in a message on X, extended condolences to those affected.The truck’s driver, who survived, was detained after testing possible for alcohol, police chief Olger Benavides told reporters.The bus driver was killed, the Llamosas transport company said.Deadly traffic accidents are a common occurrence in Peru due to speeding, drunk driving, poor road conditions, lack of signage and weak enforcement by authorities. The country’s mountainous topography can also make driving conditions perilous.In February 2018, near the site of Wednesday’s accident, 44 people were killed after a bus plunged into the river below.Last year, 3,173 deaths were recorded on Peru’s roads.
