Lima [Peru], September 19: At least 24 people have been killed and 21 injured in a coach crash in Peru.
The inter-city coach was travelling overnight in the Andes mountains between the cities of Huancayo and Huanta when it fell into a 200m-deep (650 ft) ravine.
A representative for the company Molina Union, Scarlet Bueno, told Reuters that at least 24 people had died, but did not give further details.
Peru's transportation supervisory agency (SUTRAN) confirmed the crash occurred on Monday morning in a statement, without providing a number of fatalities or injuries.
SUTRAN said the bus was travelling from Ayacucho to the city of Huancayo.
Manuel Zevallos, mayor of the Anco district where the accident occurred, said earlier on Monday that at least 20 people died and 20 were injured, according to the media outlet RPP.
SUTRAN said early investigations showed the bus appeared to have an up-to-date safety inspection and accident insurance.
Local media outlets reported the accident occurred at 1:30am in the morning, although neither the police nor the bus company confirmed the time of the accident.
Accidents are relatively common along Peru's precarious roads, with at least 24 people dying in January when a bus plunged off a cliff in the country's north.
Official figures suggest more than 3,300 people died in traffic accidents in the Andean country in 2022.
Source: Qatar Tribune
