The bus was traveling from Lima to the city of Ayacucho when it rolled down a ledge, landing upside down
The bus was traveling from Lima to the city of Ayacucho when it rolled down a ledge, landing upside down AFP

At least 16 people were killed Tuesday in Peru when a bus rolled off a ledge in the mountainous Ayacucho region, authorities said.

The bus was carrying more than 40 passengers high in the Andes, where such tragedies are not uncommon.

Ayacucho official Wiber Vega told reporters that 13 bodies had already been recovered and three more had yet to be retrieved from under the bus. "Yes, we have 16 dead," he said.

Bad weather including falling hail was delaying the recovery of the remaining bodies, Vega added.

The crash occurred early Tuesday as the bus was traveling from Lima to the city of Ayacucho on a zigzag stretch of the Libertadores highway, the health ministry said in a statement.

The bus overturned and rolled down a slope, landing upside down.

Such accidents are frequent in Peru due to drivers going too fast on poorly maintained roads, among other issues.

On April 30, at least 25 people died after a bus fell into a ravine in the Cajamarca region.

Peru registered a total of 3,138 deaths from traffic accidents in 2023, according to the Ministry of Transportation.

Seventy percent of accidents are due to human factors such as driver incompetence or fatigue, according to official data.