At least 37 people have been killed in one of Peru’s worst bus accidents in years when a bus driving through the mountains of the Arequipa region hit another vehicle and plunged about 200 metres (650ft).
The bus was driving from a mining district towards the city of Arequipa about 12:30am [05:30 GMT] on Wednesday when it hit a pickup truck and drove off the highway, according to public broadcaster TV Peru.
The bus was carrying at least 60 people at the time, and 36 were killed on impact, according to a local health official. One person later died at hospital, and 20 more passengers were injured.
The truck driver tested positive for alcohol, according to TV Peru.
Photos of the accident show the front of the pickup truck crumpled from the impact of what appears to be a head-on collision while the bus can be seen lying on its side and surrounded by debris strewn across rocky terrain.
Peru has a relatively high rate of road fatalities due to reckless driving and challenging road conditions, according to local authorities.
“This isn’t the first tragedy in the area. Years ago, another bus crashed in the same spot, killing 50 people,” regional health manager Walther Oporto told TV Peru.
Last year, Peru recorded more than 3,000 deaths in traffic accidents, according to The Associated Press.
The fatal bus crash in Arequipa follows similar incidents in July and August when two buses overturned, killing at least 28 people. In January, another bus crashed into a river in Peru, killing at least six people.
