Thirteen killed as bus plunges off cliff in Peru

LIMA: At least 13 people were killed when a bus plunged off a cliff in the high Andes of Peru near the border with Bolivia, local police said Friday.

Another 14 people aboard the vehicle where injured when the bus plummeted into an 80-meter (260-foot) abyss late Thursday, said Amador Vilca, of the Puno regional police.

The bus driver drove off the cliff when he failed to handle a curve in the highway near the town of Iskaycruz, some 1,300 kilometers southeast of Lima.

"Passengers that were hurled from the bus by the powerful impact were scattered along the path of the bus's 80-meter descent," Vilca told AFP.

The wounded were taken to the Juliaca regional hospital.

Last week at least 38 people were killed in two separate highway accidents in southern Peru.

Road accidents are common in the Peruvian Andes due to poorly maintained roads, inconsistent vehicle maintenance, and the propensity of overworked bus drivers to speed.

In 2011, 1,124 people were killed and 2,583 injured in 1,108 highway accidents, according to the latest official figures. (AFP)