At least 48 killed in Peru bus crash

At least 48 people died when a bus went over a cliff north of Lima on Tuesday, said Lewis Mejia, a top Peruvian fire official.

The accident occurred when a tractor-trailer collided with the coach bus. The back of the bus was hit by the truck, which caused the it to fall off the cliff.

It happened on a notorious stretch of road known as Curva del Diablo (the devil’s bend) in Pasamayo, north of the capital, Lima.

The winding Pacific Ocean road is considered one of the most dangerous in Peru.

As reported by the BBC, the health ministry said six survivors had so far been pulled from the wreckage and taken to hospital. Local media said the coach was carrying 55 people.

Peru’s Minister of Transport, Dino Escudero, said an investigation had been launched but it appeared that the coach had been in collision with another vehicle, causing the driver to lose control.

The coach had been travelling to Lima from Huacho, about 130km (80 miles) north of the capital.

The president, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said it was “painful for the whole country to suffer an accident of this magnitude”.

He also sent a message of “deep solidarity” to the families of the victims on twitter.

Reports show that road accidents are common in Peru.

In 2016, 493 people were killed in more than 3,800 accidents, according to official figures.