No fewer than 16 people lost their lives on Tuesday in Peru as a bus plunged off a cliff in the mountainous Ayacucho region.
According to AFP, the bus, carrying over 40 passengers through the Andes, met with the tragic accident, a sadly not uncommon occurrence in the area.
An official from Ayacucho, Wiber Vega, told newsmen that while 13 bodies had been recovered, efforts were underway to retrieve the remaining three trapped under the bus.
“Yes, we have 16 dead,” he confirmed. Recovery operations were hampered by severe weather, including hailstorms.
The crash happened early on Tuesday as the bus journeyed from Lima to Ayacucho on the Libertadores highway’s winding route, according to the health ministry.
The bus overturned and tumbled down a slope, ending up upside down.
Peru frequently witnesses such incidents, attributed to factors like speeding and poorly maintained roads. On April 30, a bus accident in the Cajamarca region claimed at least 25 lives.
In 2023, Peru recorded 3,138 deaths from traffic accidents, with 70% attributed to human factors like driver error or fatigue, according to the Ministry of Transportation.
