Baku, March 31, AZERTAC
A dozen people have been killed and 20 injured in a road accident in southern Peru, the second such incident in less than 10 days in a country with a relatively high fatality rate on the roads.
Police confirmed Monday that 12 people were killed after a bus owned by a local carrier went off a mountain road in Ayacucho region south of the country.
Police chief Orfiles Bravo told a national radio station that the bus travelling between Nazca and Puquio plunged deep into the abyss.
“It apparently went off the road and has fallen some 1,000 meters (3,000 feet),” he said.
Bad weather has apparently hampered the rescue efforts which could see the death toll increase in the coming hours.
A week ago, another road accident in northern Peru involving multiple vehicles saw 37 people killed and 70 others injured.
Road accidents are not rare in the South American country with more than 1,400 people falling victim to the incidents on roads in the first half of 2014. The country also saw 3,590 people killed in 2013 while the death toll for 2012 stood at 4,138.