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42 die as bus falls into ravine in Peru
Source: Agencies |
December 26, 2009, Saturday
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A BUS carrying mostly farmers and merchants home for Christmas plunged 80 meters into a ravine in Peru's southern Andes on Thursday, killing 42 people and injuring at least eight, authorities said.
The accident took place near dawn on a stretch of mountain highway, 610 kilometers southeast of Lima, which was so remote that the nearest village didn't have a doctor.
"The bus is completely destroyed at the bottom of the ravine, and the worst of it is that we are isolated here like many towns in Peru, without the communication" that could have saved lives, said Cornelio Coaquira, mayor of Velille, who along with dozens of villagers tried to rescue survivors.
Victims were transported by truck to Espinar, where a doctor urged the governor to send gasoline for the town's one ambulance.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, said Alberto Palomino of the Cusco Highway Police.
Dr Gabriela Cardenas, director of Espinar's medical post, said it had received eight injured people. She said at least two were in a critical condition and needed to be taken to a larger hospital.
Velille school teacher Edison Olivares said the stretch of highway where the accident took place was in a bad condition with many potholes.
In Peru, highway accidents are common. According to official figures, transit accidents claim 3,500 lives a year.
The accident took place near dawn on a stretch of mountain highway, 610 kilometers southeast of Lima, which was so remote that the nearest village didn't have a doctor.
"The bus is completely destroyed at the bottom of the ravine, and the worst of it is that we are isolated here like many towns in Peru, without the communication" that could have saved lives, said Cornelio Coaquira, mayor of Velille, who along with dozens of villagers tried to rescue survivors.
Victims were transported by truck to Espinar, where a doctor urged the governor to send gasoline for the town's one ambulance.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, said Alberto Palomino of the Cusco Highway Police.
Dr Gabriela Cardenas, director of Espinar's medical post, said it had received eight injured people. She said at least two were in a critical condition and needed to be taken to a larger hospital.
Velille school teacher Edison Olivares said the stretch of highway where the accident took place was in a bad condition with many potholes.
In Peru, highway accidents are common. According to official figures, transit accidents claim 3,500 lives a year.
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