At least 20 people died and another 11 were injured when a passenger bus plunged Saturday into a 200-meter (655-foot) ravine in the southern Peruvian region of Apurimac, National Police said.
The accident occurred at kilometer 313 (mile 194) on the highway between the towns of Puquio and Chalhuanca, as the bus was en route from Nazca province in the coastal region of Ica to Cuzco in the Andes.
The bus fell off the edge of a cliff, tumbling into a 200-meter ravine. At the moment police are investigating the cause of the incident, however this section of the highway is notoriously known as `siete vueltas,´or seven turns.
According to a preliminary report, 11 women and 9 men died in the crash.
The passengers were on their way to take part in the traditional religious feast of Our Lord of Huanca.
The main day of Señor de Huanca is celebrated on September 14th. Falling upon a Sunday this year, the ceremony is characterized by a massive pilgrimage of devotees.
“It’s a difficult area for rescue work, and no bodies have yet been recovered,” a police official in Chalhuanca told RPP Noticias radio.
Corps of volunteer firefighters have reached the scene of the accident and have taken the injured to a nearby hospital, while work continues to recover the bodies of the dead.
Accidents of this kind are common in Peru’s interior, mostly caused by vehicles and highways in a poor state of repair, careless driving and the rough terrain.
Sunday 14 September 2014
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