At least 37 people died and 13 were injured when a passenger bus plunged more than 650 ft (≈200 m) into a ravine after colliding with a pickup in southern Peru, officials said. Walther Oporto, Arequipa's health manager, said emergency teams recovered victims at the Ocoña River banks. Local leaders offered condolences while authorities investigate the cause. The crash follows a series of deadly bus accidents in Peru this year.
At Least 37 Killed as Passenger Bus Plunges 650 Feet into Ravine in Southern Peru
At least 37 people died and 13 were injured when a passenger bus plunged more than 650 ft (≈200 m) into a ravine after colliding with a pickup in southern Peru, officials said. Walther Oporto, Arequipa's health manager, said emergency teams recovered victims at the Ocoña River banks. Local leaders offered condolences while authorities investigate the cause. The crash follows a series of deadly bus accidents in Peru this year.
12:28 AM, 11/13/2025Society
Passenger bus crashes off road, tumbles into ravine near Arequipa
A passenger bus plunged into a deep ravine early Wednesday in southern Peru after colliding with another vehicle, killing at least 37 people and injuring 13, authorities said.
Walther Oporto, the health manager for the Arequipa region, told local radio RPP that the bus struck a pickup truck on a curved section of road and went off the road, tumbling more than 650 feet (about 200 m) down to the banks of the Ocoña River. Emergency crews responded to the scene and transported the injured to hospitals in the region.
"The bus hit a pickup truck and fell off the curve into the ravine," Oporto said, describing the immediate circumstances reported by responders.
The bus had departed from the coastal town of Chala — a mining community in southern Peru — and was bound for the city of Arequipa. Local officials issued condolences to the victims' families and said they were praying for those who died and for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Context and recent pattern of deadly crashes
Deadly bus crashes have occurred repeatedly across Peru. After a series of fatal incidents, authorities in 2018 banned buses from carrying passengers along a narrow coastal stretch nicknamed "Devil's Curve" following an accident in which more than 50 people died when a bus fell over a cliff.
This year Peru has seen several high-casualty bus accidents: in August a highway overturn killed 10 people; in July a Lima-to-Amazon bus overturned, leaving at least 18 dead and 48 injured; and in January another bus fell into a river, killing at least six and injuring 32. According to the country's Death Information System, there were approximately 3,173 traffic-related deaths in Peru in 2024.
Authorities said investigations into the cause of Wednesday's crash are ongoing, including whether road conditions, vehicle safety or driver error played a role. Local and regional officials have pledged to support victims' families and review safety measures on the route.