At least 15 miners die as bus rolls down into abyss in Peruvian Andes
Lima, Aug 27 (EFE).- At least 15 people died on Friday after a bus carrying contract workers of a copper mine fell off a cliff into a deep gorge in the Peruvian Andes.
Local media reported that the accident took place around 12:30 pm when the bus overturned near the community of Huallpachaca, in the province of Cotabambas, on the border of the Andean regions of Apurímac and Cusco.
The vehicle was transporting workers of the Las Bambas copper mine of MMG Ltd.
The bus was heading to the city of Cusco. It fell into a 200-meter (650 feet) deep abyss as it navigated through hairpin bends on the way to Cotabambas in the Apurimac region.
At least 14 passengers and the bus driver died instantly.
Three more people were wounded and transferred to health centers in Cotabambas and Cusco regions.
Police officers, ambulances, and even a helicopter arrived at the scene to carry out rescue work.
Such road tragedies happen on Peru highways more often than not.
Authorities blame reckless driving, poor road condition, and rugged mountainous terrain for such accidents.
Some 3,000 people die in traffic accidents each year in Peru, the National Road Safety Council data shows.
At least 50 people were killed in January 2018 when the bus they were traveling in fell off a cliff on the Pan American Highway North in an area overlooking the ocean known as “The Devil’s Curve,” which has been the scene of numerous accidents in recent decades.
Some 44 people lost their lives in February of that year in a bus accident in the southern region of Arequipa. EFE
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