At least 20 people have died after a bus plunged into a ravine, Peru’s Transport Minister Raul Perez Reyes said on Tuesday. The bus was travelling from the capital Lima to the Ayacucho region in the Andes this morning when it slid off a cliff.

According to media reports, 15 of the injured have been taken to hospital for treatment.

Police have not ruled out the possibility that the number of casualties could rise, as around 40 people were reportedly on board the bus at the time of the accident.

There was no immediate information on the cause of the accident.

According to the Ministry of Transport, more than 3,000 people died in road accidents in 2023.