At least 37 people were killed when a passenger bus collided with a pickup truck and plunged approximately 200 meters into a ravine in Peru’s Arequipa region early Wednesday morning, marking one of the deadliest road accidents in the country in recent years.
The accident occurred around 12:30 a.m. local time on November 12, 2025, along the Pan-American Highway, a major transportation route connecting Peru with Chile. The bus, operated by the Llamosas company, was traveling from Chala to Arequipa when it struck a pickup truck on a curve and careened off the roadway, falling to the banks of the Ocoña River.
The bus was carrying about 60 people at the time of the collision. According to regional health officials, 36 passengers died at the scene of the crash, while one additional person later succumbed to injuries at a hospital. Reports indicate the number of injured ranges from 13 to 25, with sources varying on the exact count. Three children are among those injured in the accident.
Walther Oporto, Arequipa’s regional health manager, told local radio that the bus hit a pickup truck and went off the road. Fire department officials described challenging rescue conditions at the crash site. The rocky terrain complicated efforts to reach survivors and recover victims from the wreckage.
Images from the scene showed the bus lying on its side at the bottom of the steep ravine, surrounded by debris scattered across the rocky landscape. The front of the pickup truck appeared crumpled from what witnesses described as a head-on impact.
According to public broadcaster TV Peru, the driver of the pickup truck tested positive for alcohol following the collision. Authorities detained the truck driver at the scene, and an investigation is underway to determine responsibility for the accident.
The accident has renewed calls for improved road safety measures and stricter enforcement of traffic regulations in Peru, where transportation officials have struggled to reduce the persistently high rate of fatal accidents on the country’s highways.
Peru’s traffic fatality rate remains one of the highest in Latin America. According to official government figures, more than 3,300 people died in traffic accidents in Peru in 2022 alone. The country’s mountainous terrain, combined with aging infrastructure and limited enforcement of safety regulations, creates particularly hazardous driving conditions.
Official records from the Death Information System show that in 2024, around 3,173 people lost their lives in traffic accidents in the South American nation.
The Pan-American Highway, stretching 48,000 kilometers from Alaska to Argentina and holding the record as the world’s longest motorable road, passes through some of Peru’s most treacherous mountain passes. The section through the Arequipa region has been the site of numerous fatal accidents over the years, with local officials repeatedly calling for improved safety measures, including better lighting, guardrails, and warning signage.
The Arequipa crash follows a deadly summer for Peru’s transportation sector. In August, a bus overturned on a highway, killing 10 people. In July, a bus traveling from Lima to Peru’s Amazon region overturned, leaving at least 18 people dead and 48 injured. In January, a bus plunged into a river, leaving at least six people dead and injuring 32 others. These incidents prompted renewed scrutiny of bus company safety practices and driver training requirements.
Waldor Llerena, the district mayor of Ocoña, told radio station RPP that the terrain around Wednesday’s crash site is “very rugged” and noted the area has a history of similar deadly accidents. The specific stretch of highway at kilometer 780, where the crash occurred, has been identified by local authorities as particularly dangerous.
