At least 37 people have died after a passenger bus carrying 60 passengers plunged more than 650 feet into a ravine near Arequipa, Peru, following a collision with a pickup truck on Nov. 12. Officials said 36 died at the scene and one more later in hospital; dozens were injured, with reports varying between 13 and 25 casualties and three minors among the wounded. Both drivers survived and the pickup driver was detained as prosecutors opened an investigation. Recovery efforts and forensic work are ongoing.
At Least 37 Killed After Passenger Bus Plunges 650+ Feet into Ravine in Arequipa, Peru
At least 37 people have died after a passenger bus carrying 60 passengers plunged more than 650 feet into a ravine near Arequipa, Peru, following a collision with a pickup truck on Nov. 12. Officials said 36 died at the scene and one more later in hospital; dozens were injured, with reports varying between 13 and 25 casualties and three minors among the wounded. Both drivers survived and the pickup driver was detained as prosecutors opened an investigation. Recovery efforts and forensic work are ongoing.
05:55 PM, 11/13/2025Society
At Least 37 Killed After Passenger Bus Plunges into Ravine in Arequipa
At least 37 people have died and dozens more were injured after a passenger bus plunged more than 650 feet into a ravine in southern Peru following a collision with a pickup truck on Wednesday, Nov. 12. The crash occurred on the Pan‑American Highway in the Arequipa region, officials and news agencies said.
Walther Oporto, Arequipa's regional health manager, told local radio RPP that the bus struck the pickup on a curve and then went off the road, tumbling down to the banks of the Ocoña River. Local and international reports said the vehicles collided head‑on during the early hours on a section of highway described as rugged. The BBC reported the bus was traveling from Chala toward the city of Arequipa and was carrying 60 passengers in total.
Authorities said 36 people died at the scene and one more victim later died in hospital, bringing the confirmed death toll to at least 37. Reports differ on the number of injured: RPP cited 25 people being treated — including three minors — while the Associated Press initially reported 13 injured. Both drivers survived the crash; prosecutors said the pickup driver was detained while investigators determine his legal responsibility.
The Camaná Provincial Corporate Criminal Prosecutor's Office said prosecutors Luis Supo Ramos and Jorge Medina Chávez, together with deputy provincial prosecutor Clisman Ala Gordillo, went to the scene to oversee removal of the bodies and evidence collection. Video released by the prosecutor's office showed the bus wreckage on the ravine's banks and a white pickup with extensive front‑end damage as emergency teams inspected the site.
Recovery and investigative work remain underway. Hospitals in Camaná and Arequipa, including the Honorio Delgado and EsSalud centers, are treating the injured while authorities continue victim identification and legal inquiries.
Photo: AP/Kiara Tapia