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At least 14 people have died, and five others were injured after a minibus plunged into a ravine in northern Peru, authorities said on Thursday. The crash occurred near San Juan in the Cajamarca region, more than 800 kilometres north of the capital, Lima.
Ricardo Chilon, head of institutional communications for the San Juan municipality, said the vehicle, carrying 19 people from the San Juan district to Ciudad de Dios, veered off the road and fell into the ravine.
“We have reports of 14 people dead and five injured after a minibus fell into a ravine,” Chilon said.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Police and firefighters were deployed to the scene to recover the victims, including the driver and a child.
Fire Department official Edson Roman said rescue efforts were being hampered by the difficult terrain, with the vehicle lodged deep inside the ravine and several bodies yet to be recovered.
“The rescue operation is very difficult for us. The vehicle is wedged in a ravine,” Roman said from the crash site.
Road accidents are frequent in Peru due to poor road conditions, inadequate traffic enforcement and human error, particularly speeding. Official figures show that more than 3,000 people died in road crashes across the country last year.
