At least 7 killed after bus goes over cliffside in Peru

APD NEWS

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At least seven people died and around 40 were injured on Wednesday when a bus fell down a 100-meter cliff in the district of Puquio, Lucanas province, in southern Peru.

The local mayor, Wilber Valverde, told Peruvian state radio RPP that the accident happened around 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

According to the report, four men and three women were killed, while the injured were taking to the hospitals in the city of Ica, with several in critical condition.

The highway police, in charge of the investigation, said the accident happened either due to the driver falling asleep or due to a mechanical failure.

Police and firefighters are working to recover the bodies, which is made difficult due to the rough nature of the area.

Peru has seen a number of bus tragedies this year. Fifty-two people died in early January, when the interprovincial bus they were travelling on fell down a 400-meter ravine 48 km north of Lima.

A month later, another bus also went off the road down a cliff in the southern region of Arequipa, with 44 people losing their lives.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)