At least 27 dead in Peru bus accident

Lima: At least 27 people were killed and several injured after a bus overturned in the southern Peruvian region of Ayacucho, according to the police.

The bus fell into a 250-metre ravine on Friday while travelling on the Interoceanic Highway from the Ayacucho region to Arequipa, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to initial reports from the scene of the accident, located 600 km southeast of the capital Lima, the Wari Palomino company bus was carrying a group of miners and their families.

Rescue teams, firefighters and police officers arrived at the site to rescue the injured, who were taken to the nearby hospital in Nasca.

The Peruvian Police is gathering information to determine the causes of the accident.