At least 20 dead in Peru bus crash

At least 20 people were killed when a bus veered off a mountain road and plunged into a ravine in southern Peru on Wednesday, state news agency Andina reported. At least 20 other passengers were injured when the bus left the Pan-American highway and tumbled 80 metres (260 feet) down a jagged slope in the southern region of Arequipa.

The accident happened around 1.30 am, the agency said. Rescue teams "have been working since dawn, coordinating the transfer and care of the injured," Arequipa governor Yamila Osorio wrote on her Twitter account.

The injured were taken to hospital in the city of Camana. It was the second major accident on Peru's roads this year. On January 2, a bus crashed into a ravine in the country's central coastal area, leaving 52 dead.