In Peru, a deadly crash near Pasco left at least eleven people dead, including three children. The accident involved a passenger transport van and a goods truck, and it occurred in the central region of Pasco, along the Pasco-Huánuco highway in the Malauchaca area. Official sources confirmed the casualty toll on Monday, signaling a severe disruption for local communities and road users in the area.
According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the mixed provincial prosecutor’s unit in Huariaca conducted on-site investigations after the collision. The authorities reported the lifting of eleven bodies at the scene, with three of the deceased being minors. The Public Prosecutor Dina Berrospi Reyes stated that the fatalities were in a van traveling from Pasco to Huánuco when it collided with a semi-truck heading towards Lima. The truck’s driver has been detained as part of the investigation, and further proceedings are expected as authorities gather evidence from the crash site.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office added that autopsies were ordered for the passenger-van driver and that a technical-police inspection of the accident site would follow. Victims and witnesses were being treated, and those injured were transported to Daniel Alcides Carrión Hospital in Pasco for medical care. Law enforcement and forensic teams coordinated the ongoing examination to determine contributing factors and establish a precise sequence of events leading to the collision.
A spokesperson for the Unified Transport Authority for People, Goods, and Cargoes known as Sutran, Larry Ampuero, spoke on Canal N to provide context about the incident. He reported that besides the eleven fatalities, eight people were injured. Ampuero noted a rising trend in road accidents in recent weeks attributed to adverse weather conditions common in the highlands, including persistent rain and dense fog in the mountains. He also cited human error, such as speeding or momentary lapses in judgment, as additional contributors to crashes on these roads.
Annual statistics from Peru’s National Road Safety Council show that approximately 3,000 people die in traffic accidents each year in the country, with most fatalities resulting from pedestrian crashes. The same data set indicates about 55,000 people are injured in traffic incidents annually, underscoring the ongoing public safety challenge posed by road travel across Peru. Authorities reiterate calls for improved road maintenance, stricter enforcement of speed limits, and heightened driver awareness to reduce preventable harm on Peru’s highways.