At least 16 dead, 18 wounded in Peru Andean highway bus crash

At least 16 people were killed and 18 others were injured Tuesday in a bus crash on a highway in Peru’s Andean region.

The crash involving a vehicle belonging to the Interprovincial Civa transport company took place at 6:30 am (11.30 am GMT) near Vinchos as the bus traveled from the capital Lima to Ayachucho, local authorities said in a statement.

They initially reported 14 injured but police Col. Jhonny Valderrama later told Canal N television there were at least 18.

Seven ambulances were dispatched to the site as well as around two dozen health personnel, Ayacucho district authorities said, adding that the injured had been taken to three separate hospitals for treatment.

Health personnel remain at the site, authorities said.

Ayacucho official Wiber Vega told reporters that 13 bodies had already been recovered and three more had yet to be retrieved from under the bus. “Yes, we have 16 dead,” he said.

Bad weather including falling hail was delaying the recovery of the remaining bodies, Vega added.

Such accidents are frequent in Peru due to drivers going too fast on poorly maintained roads, among other issues.

On April 30, at least 25 people died after a bus fell into a ravine in the Cajamarca region.

Peru registered a total of 3,138 deaths from traffic accidents in 2023, according to the Ministry of Transportation.

Almost 70% of accidents are due to human factors such as driver incompetence or fatigue, according to official data.