In Peru, a bus falls into an abyss and 27 people die

The Peruvian Prosecutor’s Office reported that the death toll in the accident of a passenger bus that fell into an abyss on Sunday night has risen to 27. in the Peruvian department of Cajamarca, north of the country, for which the preliminary arrest of the driver of the vehicle has been requested.

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The Public Ministry reported on the social network Huasmín, where 27 people died.”

He added that the request for flagrante detention “It is carried out because the driver would be the alleged perpetrator of the crimes of negligent homicide and negligent injuries, to the detriment of the victims of the car accident.”

The Regional Health Directorate of Cajamarca indicated that six of the injured were receiving specialized care at the Regional Hospital and that a disciplinary team of health professionals, along with ambulances, had traveled to the area to provide medical care to those affected.

The Public Ministry indicated, for its part, that a team of prosecutors arrived at the area of ​​the accident to gather information about the causes of the accident.

The bus plunged into a 200-meter-deep abyss and fell into the Sendama River. as it passes through the Celendín municipality, a sector with a complex geography that makes rescue difficult, according to various local media.

According to the state channel TV Perú, the accident occurred in the district of Sorochuco, in the area known as Lucuma, a few minutes from reaching its destination.

The Minister of Transportation and Communications, Raúl Pérez Reyes, declared to Canal N that the damaged vehicle had its Mandatory Traffic Accident Insurance (SOAT) active, which guarantees coverage for the injured, but that he had not made a report. of your georeferenced location.

ISMAEL MANTILLA/AFP

He added that the investigations into the cause of the accident are now in the hands of the authorities, but that his office will “collaborate to see how we clarify the issue.”

Pérez Reyes regretted the accident and extended his condolences to the family members.

For his part, the mayor of Celendín, Julio Chávez, published a message in solidarity with the relatives of those who died in the Sorochuco accident and announced that that provincial municipality declared 72 hours of mourning, with the raising of its flag at half-mast.

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