Horror as Peru bus drops over 260 feet off cliff and kills 19, including two young children and injures 25
- - The bus had traveled over 240 miles from Lima and was only one hour from its destination
in rural Huancavelica - - Among the 19 dead are two children, one and three-years-old
- - The bus was carrying a total of 55 people
By RYAN GORMAN
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At least 19 people- including two young children - were killed when a bus traveling from the Peruvian capital Lima to a rural southern province plunged off a cliff Saturday.
Two children, aged one and three-years-old, as well as 17 adults, were killed when the bus careened off a cliff and over 260 feet down a steep hill in Huancavelica, southern Peru. 25 more people were injured, according to officials.
The bus was carrying 55 passengers when it dropped over 260 feet, according to Correo.
The driver is hospitalized after suffering injuries, Correo reported, his condition is not known.
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Catastrophic damage: 19 people died, 25 were injured when this bus plunged over 260 feet off a cliff in southern Peru
The accident occurred about 4:20 a.m. Sunday in a farming community in the Acoria district of the Huancavelica region about 246 kilometers (152 miles) southeast of Lima. The bus was only one hour from its destination, according to Peru21.
At least one surviving passenger has blamed the crash on excessive speed as the driver raced up the narrow, winding road, according to AFP, which cited RPP news radio.
Several bodies: Many of the 19 killed were lined up along the steep hillside, covered in blankets or tarps
Team effort: Locals ran to the scene of the tragedy and worked together to flip the bus right side up
Video from the scene of the accident showed several locals rush to the bus, turn it right-side up and begin to pull passengers from the wreck.
Several bodies could be seen being carried away from the chaotic scene, many more were lying on the ground covered in blankets along the steep hillside.
Survivors were shown crying, some thanked God for allowing them to survive, many just wanted loved ones to know they were still alive.
The condition of the 25 injured, according to Correo, is not known, many have been airlifted to a local hospital.
Deadly bus accidents are frequent in Peru, where enforcement of road safety rules is weak. Government figures say 5,435 people died and 13,520 were injured in bus crashes between September 2008 and December 2012.
The Peruvian Attorney General's Office says the main causes of such accidents are bus drivers' recklessness, excessive speed, alcohol drinking and sleepiness.
The Peruvian Attorney General's Office says the main causes of such accidents are bus drivers' recklessness, excessive speed, alcohol drinking and sleepiness.
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