At least 27 dead in bus accident in southern Peru

At least 27 people were killed and several injured on Friday after an interprovincial bus overturned in the southern Peruvian region of Ayacucho, according to preliminary information provided by the police to local media.

The bus fell into a 250-meter ravine at about 3:00 a.m. local time while traveling on the Interoceanic Highway from the Ayacucho region to Arequipa. The bus was carrying a group of miners and their families.

Rescue teams, firefighters and police officers arrived at the site to rescue the injured, who were taken to the nearby hospital in Nasca.

The Peruvian police is gathering information to determine the cause of the incident.