Early Monday morning, an interprovincial double-decker bus of the Guadalupe Tours company skidded and fell into the Rimac riverbed in the district of Chicla, province of Huarochirí, in the Lima region. The accident occurred at 2:30 a.m. and left at least 10 people dead and 25 others seriously injured. The transport was carrying 76 passengers and departed at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday from the city of Huánuco, in the center of the north of the country, bound for Lima.
The Peruvian National Police reported that the injured were taken to the San Juan de Matucana and Jose Agurto Tello de Chosica hospitals. Five of the injured were transferred to Hospital 2 de Mayo in Lima due to the seriousness of their injuries. The road was closed for the removal of the wrecked bus.
The Guadalupe transport company reported that the accident occurred due to the collision of the bus with a truck, but the other affected unit was not found in the area of the accident. The driver of the transport was taken to the Chicla Police Station to determine the causes of the incident.
The Superintendencia de Transporte Terrestre de Personas, Carga, and Mercancías (SUTRAN) has initiated the verification of the facts in order to proceed with the actions within the framework of its competences. This is a sad reminder of the importance of safety in public transportation and the need to improve protocols and accident prevention measures in the country.