At least 37 people have been killed in one of Peru’s worst bus accidents in years when a bus driving through the mountains of the Arequipa region hit another vehicle and plunged about 200 metres (650ft).

The bus was driving from a mining district towards the city of Arequipa about 12:30am [05:30 GMT] on Wednesday when it hit a pickup truck and drove off the highway, according to public broadcaster TV Peru.

The bus was carrying at least 60 people at the time, and 36 were killed on impact, according to a local health official. One person later died at hospital, and 20 more passengers were injured.

The truck driver tested positive for alcohol, according to TV Peru.

Photos of the accident show the front of the pickup truck crumpled from the impact of what appears to be a head-on collision

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