At least 37 killed as bus falls into ravine in Peru

A passenger bus has fallen into a deep ravine after colliding with another vehicle in southern Peru, killing at least 37 people and injuring 13 more.

The health manager of the Arequipa region, Walther Oporto, said to local radio RPP that the bus hit a pickup truck and it went off a road on a curve, falling more than 200 metres to the banks of the Ocoña river.

The bus had departed from the city of Chala, a mining area also in southern Peru, and was heading to the city of Arequipa.

Fatal bus accidents are not uncommon in Peru. The cause of Wednesday's accident was not clear, but authorities have said in the past that reckless driving and excessive speed are behind many of these events.

In August, a bus overturned on a highway and 10 people died. In July, another bus travelling from Lima