Lima [Peru], May 16: At least 11 people died and another 34 were injured in a bus accident near the Peruvian province of Sihuas in the Ancash region, local authorities said Sunday.
The National Emergency Operations Center of Peru said in a preliminary report that the incident occurred at about 4:00 p.m. (2100 GMT) on Saturday, after the vehicle left the city of Tayabamba in the northern department of La Libertad for Lima.
The bus from the interprovincial company "Ava Tours" fell down a cliff approximately 100 meters high, local media reported, adding that "ropes and wooden supports were immediately placed to prevent the vehicle with 45 passengers on board (from continuing) to fall" after rescuers rushed to the scene.
The government of the municipality of Sihuas said late Saturday night on Facebook that only two of the deceased had been identified and that heavy equipment had been mobilized to move the bus.
This type of accident is frequent in the interior of the Andean nation due to poor road conditions and reckless driving.
Source: Xinhua