Nine dead in Peru as orchestra tour bus veers off road into ravine in horror accident
Tragedy struck in Peru when at least eight members of the same orchestra died when their bus suddenly plunged off a road[1] and into a ravine.
Nine people died[2] and 12 more were injured in the accident[3] in the morning of July 22. The victims included eight members of the Antolog a del Folklore orchestra and the coach driver. The group were travelling from the city of Oxapampa to the Peruvian capital of Lima when the accident occurred close to the city of Tarma.
The 20-man band, most of whom played the saxophone, had finished a gig the night before and were on their way to their next show. According to some of the survivors, the accident happened when the driver swerved to avoid a collision, as reported on NeedToKnow.
Motorcyclist and pillion passenger killed in horror A61 crash named by devastated son[4]
The bus fell 200 metres down a ravine (
Jam Press)
The vehicle plunged down a 200m (656 ft) ravine, according to reports. Omar Valdivia told local media: "A car suddenly moved into the driver's lane and to avoid crashing into it, the driver had to steer slightly, which caused the bus to go off the edge."
The incident occurred on the La Oroya-Tarma highway near Cochas Bajo in Peru's Jun n region. Local media say the stretch of road where the accident happened is unpaved, but Valdivia said the road was "fine." He added: "We were heading from Oxapampa to Lima for a commitment, but we were caught by the unfortunate timing of this accident, which happened while we were asleep."
'I was about 50 metres from the road when I woke up,' one survivor said (
Jam Press)
Another survivor, Gilmer Diego Venturo, said the driver wasn't speeding at the time "because it was all uphill". He recalled: "I was about 50 metres from the road when I woke up. Only my colleagues who were less seriously injured were shouting for help."
ColonelYoni Rolando Valderrama of the National Police said: "I've been informed that the official route was from Jauja to Tarma. But this vehicle had deviated from that route and was on an unauthorised road."
Emergency services arrived around and hour and a half after the crash (
Jam Press)
It reportedly took the emergency services an hour and a half to arrive at the crash site. Some of the survivors have already been discharged, while others are still in hospital.
Yohan Molina Carhuancho, 30, has head trauma, chest trauma and a pelvic injury. The deceased victims have been named as Rolando Huaccho, John Poma, Ricardo Trujillo, Martin Monson, William Fabian, Cesar Cardenas, Hugo Rosales Poves, Kike Reyes. Another man, Infobae reported, also died at the Felix Mayorca Soto hospital.
References
- ^ off a road (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ died (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ accident (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Motorcyclist and pillion passenger killed in horror A61 crash named by devastated son (www.mirror.co.uk)