AT LEAST 18 people have died after a double-decker bus plunged 164ft into a ravine.

Wrecked bus on a hillside.
At least 18 people have died after a double-decker bus plunged 164ft into a ravine
Credit: EPA

Debris from a wrecked bus in a wooded area.
Desperate rescue teams working at the crash site
Credit: Reuters

Emergency responders at the scene of a bus crash.
Officials said 15 of the 60 passengers onboard were found dead at the scene
Credit: Reuters
The packed bus was traveling from Lima to Peru’s Amazon region when it overturned on a highway in Hunin near to the Andes Mountains.

The driver is believed to have veered off the winding road before the bus plummeted down the ravine, authorities said on Friday.

Officials said 15 of the 60 passengers onboard were found dead at the scene.

Three more victims then died after being rushed to hospital.

Two children are among the dead, a spokesperson for health services of the central city of Tarma said.

The double-decker belonged to the company Expreso Molina Lder Internacional.

Authorities are still investigating the exact cause of the accident.

Wreckage pictures show how the bus split in two after landing on its side with shattered glass and snapped window frames spread across the crash site.

At least 40 killed as two buses crash and burst into flames – leaving terrified passengers trapped inside vehicles
In September of last year, dozens of tourists were injured after a bus carrying them back from Machu Picchu plunged down a steep bank.

The bus fell 50 feet after the driver lost control of the motor while he negotiated the narrow mountain road in the foggy Andes.

In 2022, four tourists were killed and another 15 were injured after a minibus plunged 330 feet down a cliff returning from Machu Picchu.

Locals said foggy conditions also contributed to that crash.

Accidents are common in Peru due to speeding, poor road surfaces, and a lack of road signs.

Over 3,170 people died in road accidents in the country in 2024, according to Peruvian police data.

Bus on its side after an accident; people assisting.
Tourists were still on the bus as the locals desperately held it up last September
Credit: X/gamavisionmx

Trucks carrying logs and lumber on a road in Peru.
Accidents are common in Peru due to speeding, poor road surfaces, and a lack of road signs
Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd