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At least 18 dead, dozens injured in Peru bus crash

By AAP Newswire

Jul 26, 2025

PERU ACCIDENT — Bus crashes, like this one in September 2023, are relatively common in Peru. -EPA

A bus travelling from Lima to Peru's Amazon region has overturned on a highway in the Andes Mountains, leaving at least 18 people dead and 48 injured.

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The double-decker bus belonging to the company Expreso Molina Líder Internacional went off the road and fell down a slope in the district of Palca, Junín region, Junin's health director Clifor Curipaco told reporters on Friday.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the accident.

Videos broadcast on local television showed the bus split in two, while firefighters and police tried to rescue the injured.

It was not the first fatal bus accident in 2025, another bus fell into a river on January 3, leaving six people dead and 32 injured.

A study by the Attorney-General's Office found driver recklessness and excessive speed are the main causes of accidents in Peru.

Road transportation is poorly monitored by authorities in Peru, and emergency assistance is so slow and disorganised.

In 2024, there were approximately 3173 deaths as a result of traffic accidents in the South American country, according to official data from the Death Information System.

By AAP Newswire

Australian Associated Press