Al menos 48 personas murieron el martes cuando un bus de pasajeros cayó por un barranco al borde del mar en un peligroso tramo vial situado al norte de Lima, dijeron bomberos y la policía peruana.
El accidente se produjo cuando el bus, que se dirigía a Lima, fue impactado por un camión y cayó a un acantilado de la zona de Pasamayo, a la altura del kilómetro 48 de la Panamericana Norte de Perú.
Lewis Mejía Prada, representante de la compañía de bomberos local, dijo a Reuters Television que al menos 48 personas fallecieron y seis resultaron heridas en el accidente. La radioemisora RPP reportó el mismo número de víctimas fatales tras citar fuentes de la policía.
Previamente, el Ministerio de Salud dijo en su cuenta de Twitter que 36 personas fallecieron y aceleró el envío de rescatistas y ambulancias para responder a la emergencia.
Medios locales difieren sobre el número exacto de personas que iban a bordo del vehículo, pero se calcula que había entre 47 y 54 pasajeros y tripulantes.
El presidente de Perú, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, expresó pesar por la tragedia y envío sus condolencias a los familiares de las víctimas. “Desde el primer momento he dispuesto todo el apoyo inmediato para el rescate de las víctimas en esta emergencia”, dijo el mandatario en Twitter.
El tramo vial de Pasamayo, al borde del océano Pacífico y que ha sido escenario de accidentes similares en el pasado, se caracteriza por numerosas curvas cerradas que complican las labores de rescate.
Medios locales informaron que los cuerpos recuperados y los heridos estaban siendo transportados a hospitales cercanos.
Los accidentes viales son frecuentes en Perú, donde muchos vehículos transitan en mal estado por vías precarias y son conducidos por chóferes sin la capacitación adecuada. Las causas del último hecho están siendo investigadas.
Reuters
ATTENTION EDITORS – VISUALS COVERAGE OF SCENES OF DEATH AND INJURY Rescue workers stand at the scene after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo TEMPLATE OUT.ATTENTION EDITORS – VISUALS COVERAGE OF SCENES OF DEATH AND INJURY Rescue workers work at the scene after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo TEMPLATE OUT.A helicopter helps rescue workers at the scene after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe PardoATTENTION EDITORS – VISUALS COVERAGE OF SCENES OF DEATH AND INJURY Rescue workers work at the scene after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo TEMPLATE OUT.Rescue workers and police work at the scene after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe PardoRescue workers stand next to victims after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe PardoATTENTION EDITORS – VISUALS COVERAGE OF SCENES OF DEATH AND INJURY Rescue workers stand at the scene after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo TEMPLATE OUT.ATTENTION EDITORS – VISUALS COVERAGE OF SCENES OF DEATH AND INJURY Rescue workers carry victims after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe PardoATTENTION EDITORS – VISUALS COVERAGE OF SCENES OF DEATH AND INJURY Rescue workers work at the scene after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo TEMPLATE OUT.Un helicóptero ayuda a los rescatistas en el lugar donde un autobús cayó por un barranco al borde del mar en un peligroso tramo vial situado al norte de Lima, Perú, 2 de enero del 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe PardoATTENTION EDITORS – VISUALS COVERAGE OF SCENES OF DEATH AND INJURY Rescue workers stand at the scene after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo TEMPLATE OUT. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYATTENTION EDITORS – VISUAL COVERAGE OF SCENES OF INJURY OR DEATH Rescue workers transport victims after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe PardoATTENTION EDITORS – VISUAL COVERAGE OF SCENES OF INJURY OR DEATH Rescue workers transport a victim after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo TEMPLATE OUT.ATTENTION EDITORS – VISUALS COVERAGE OF SCENES OF DEATH AND INJURY Rescue workers and police work at the scene after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo TEMPLATE OUT.ATTENTION EDITORS – VISUALS COVERAGE OF SCENES OF DEATH AND INJURY Rescue workers carry victims after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe PardoATTENTION EDITORS – VISUALS COVERAGE OF SCENES OF DEATH AND INJURY Rescue workers carry victims after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe PardoATTENTION EDITORS – VISUALS COVERAGE OF SCENES OF DEATH AND INJURY Rescue workers and police work at the scene after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo TEMPLATE OUT.ATTENTION EDITORS – VISUALS COVERAGE OF SCENES OF DEATH AND INJURY Rescue workers stand at the scene after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo TEMPLATE OUT.Rescue workers and police work at the scene after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe PardoPeople react at the scene after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe PardoATTENTION EDITORS – VISUALS COVERAGE OF SCENES OF DEATH AND INJURY Rescue workers and police work at the scene after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo TEMPLATE OUT.Rescue workers carry victims after a bus crashed with a truck and careened off a cliff along a sharply curving highway north of Lima, Peru, January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo
