Peru bus accident kills at least 24 —transportation company

LIMA — At least 24 people were killed in a passenger bus accident in Peru overnight, according to the company operating the vehicle.

A representative for the company Molina Union, Angie Cabrera, told local media from a hospital in Ayacucho that at least 24 people had died.

"We are very sorry for the accident...at the moment we know that there are 24 deaths," she said in an interview with Canal N.

Manuel Zevallos, mayor of the Anco district where the accident occurred, said earlier on Monday that at least 20 people died and 20 were injured, according to the media outlet RPP.

Peru's transportation supervisory agency (SUTRAN) confirmed the crash in a statement, without providing a number of fatalities or injuries.

SUTRAN said the bus was traveling from Ayacucho to the city of Huancayo.

SUTRAN said early investigations showed the bus appeared to have an up-to-date safety inspection and accident insurance.

Accidents are relatively common along Peru's precarious roads, with at least 24 people dying in January when a bus plunged off a cliff in the country's north. — Reuters