Passenger bus accident kills 17 in Peru

At least 17 people killed and 30 are injured when a passenger bus plunged off a cliff in the mountainous Cusco region of Peru.

According to details the bus, with 48 passengers, was heading from the Amazon rainforest city of Puerto Maldonado to the highland city of Cusco. The bus fell into a 100-meter (over 300-feet) deep ravine.

Officer Alvaro Mendoza of the Marcapata police station said “The victims were found among twisted metal.”

Officer further stated “It was difficult to get them out because of the heavy rain falling in an area of very rough terrain.”

Police attributed that the cause of accident is the driver’s negligence, but further investigations are underway.

The passenger bus arrived from Puerto Maldonado the city of Peru to Cusco, where the driver suddenly lost control of the bus due to high speed on the rocky roads.

The Cusco Region of Peru is a popular tourist destination. The Incan citadel of Machu Picchu (often referred to as the “Lost city of the Incas”) is located in the region.

Deadly road accidents are frequent in Peru due to speeding, poor road surfaces, a lack of signage and minimal oversight by authorities.

In July, 19 people died and eight more were injured when a bus crashed into a mountainside in Canete province outside Lima.

In 2018, nearly 3,250 died in road accidents in Peru, up from nearly 2,830 in 2017, according to government figures.