At least 37 dead after passenger bus plunges into deep gorge in southern Peru

The cause of the accident was not clear, but authorities have said in the past that reckless driving and excessive speed are behind many of these events.

A passenger bus fell into a deep ravine early Wednesday after crashing with another vehicle in southern Peru, killing at least 37 people and injuring 13 more, authorities said.

The bus had departed from the city of Chala, a mining area also in southern Peru, and was heading to the city of Arequipa. (Unsplash/Representational Image)

The health manager of the Arequipa region, Walther Oporto, said to local radio RPP that the bus hit a pickup truck and it went off a road on a curve, falling more than 200 meters (more than 650 feet) to the banks of the Ocoña river.

The bus had departed from the city of Chala, a mining area also in southern Peru, and was heading to the city of Arequipa.

Fatal bus accidents are not uncommon in Peru. The cause of Wednesday's accident was not clear, but authorities have said in the past that reckless driving and excessive speed are behind many of these events.

In August, a bus overturned on a highway and 10 people died. In July, another bus traveling from Lima to Peru’s Amazon region also overturned, leaving at least 18 people dead and 48 injured.

In January at least six people died and 32 were injured when a bus fell into a river.

In 2024 there were approximately 3,173 deaths as a result of traffic accidents in the South American country, according to official data from the Death Information System.