LIMA, May 15 (NNN-XINHUA) — At least 13 people were killed and 14 others were injured when a passenger bus plunged into a ravine about 50 meters deep in southern Peru on Tuesday, local authorities said.
The bus crashed around 6:30 a.m. local time on the Libertadores highway as it was traveling from Lima to the city of Ayacucho, said the Regional Health Directorate’s Center for Prevention and Control of Emergencies and Disasters in the southern department of Ayacucho.
“According to initial reports, so far 14 people have been injured and 13 have died,” the center said in a statement.
The injured were taken to several area hospitals, it added.
Bus operator CIVA confirmed in a statement that one of its buses “was involved in an unexpected accident,” and asked families of the victims for “understanding and patience” while the company strived to offer all the needed assistance.
Some 32 passengers and two drivers were aboard the vehicle when the accident occurred, news outlet Radio Programas del Peru reported, quoting the company’s lawyer.
Meanwhile, in neighbouring BOLIVIA, at least four people were killed and six others were seriously injured on Tuesday when a minibus fell into a ravine in western Bolivia, police said.
The minibus was carrying about 14 people when the accident occurred on the La Paz-La Asunta highway, Miguel Hidalgo, commander of the La Paz Rural and Border Police, told reporters.
The minibus, operated by La Asunta Interprovincial Transport Union, was headed from La Paz to La Asunta, a city less than 200 kilometers away, he said.
All the four fatal victims were women, and the driver was among the injured.
According to Hidalgo, persistent rain and fog could have caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle. “An official report will be provided when the investigations are concluded,” he said. — NNN-XINHUA
