A scene of an accident
Twenty-seven people died and 13 more were injured in a bus crash in southern Peru in a Friday morning accident, British-based silver and gold miner Hochschild Mining said on Saturday.
The company said in a statement that a bus operated by one of its contractors carrying workers was travelling from its Pallancata mine to the city of Arequipa in southern Peru when it crashed.
Local media cited witnesses as saying that the bus driver lost control of the vehicle in a curvy stretch of the road near the city of Nasca, running off the road and some 500 metres down.
“We are all devastated by this news and we have already started a thorough investigation,” Hochschild Mining chief executive officer Ignacio Bustamante said in a statement.
“However, our immediate priorities are to support those involved in the accident and their families and to work together with the relevant authorities,” he added.
Bus accidents happen often in Peru, where driving conditions are often poor.
On Jan. 2, 2018 a Peruvian bus carrying 57 passengers from Huacho to Lima went over a cliff after being struck by a tractor trailer near Pasamayo, Peru, killing 51 people and injuring at least 5 others.
It is the deadliest road accident in Peruvian history, tied with the 2013 Peru bus disaster.
The crash occurred near the ‘Devil’s Curve’ highway, a precariously nicknamed route that is known for fatal traffic accidents.
Recall that on Oct. 12, 2013, a cargo truck carrying 51 people, including 14 children, plunged off a 200-meter cliff, killing everyone on board.
According to authorities, the truck, which was being used as a makeshift bus, was travelling to a celebration in the Santa Teresa district, when the driver lost control of the bus as it plunged off a 200-meter cliff into the Chaupimayo River below.
Dpa