LIMA, 13 March (BelTA - Xinhua) - 18 people were killed Saturday night in Peru when a passenger minivan tumbled down a ravine on a highway in the Peruvian Andres, local press reported on Sunday.
The tragedy occurred outside the town of Maribamba, in the northwestern province of Fitzcarrald, along a road around 3,000m above sea level.
According to the Peru21 news website, the van left the road due to a landslide, which pushed the vehicle down a cliff around 500 meters deep.
The driver and 17 passengers died instantly, according to rescuers who struggled to arrive at the scene due to the remote area and dark. Only the driver has so far been identified as Jhony Marco Cadenillas Morales.
The regional police issued a statement Sunday, saying that they would continue the operation to retrieve the bodies, while specialized personnel were on the scene.
