Fatal Bus Crash Claims 37 Lives – Details

In a moment of sheer terror, a bus carrying dozens of passengers careened off a remote stretch of highway and plunged hundreds of feet into a deep ravine, leaving behind a scene of unimaginable destruction.

The crash, one of the deadliest transportation disasters in Peru this year, occurred on November 12, 2025, on a treacherous route near the country's Arequipa region, where danger often hides in plain sight.

The bus, operated by the Llamosas company, was traveling the notorious Pan-American Highway South, a twisting artery that connects Peru to Chile and clings perilously to the edges of mountainous terrain.

People and first responders gathered on the rough stretch of the Pan-American Highway South in Peru, from a video dated November 12, 2025 | Source: Youtube/NDTV

It was just another journey from the coastal town of Chala to the historic city of Arequipa, approximately a 17-hour drive south from Lima, until the nightmare began.

The passenger vehicle collided with a pickup truck, then veered off the rugged road and plunged an astonishing 650 feet into a ravine near the banks of the Ocoña River, according to the country's Public Prosecutor's Office.

The pickup truck involved in the accident on the rough stretch of the Pan-American Highway South in Peru, from a video dated November 12, 2025 | Source: Youtube/NDTV

Photographs from the wreckage tell a chilling tale: shattered windows, a roof crushed like paper, and debris scattered across the terrain where dozens lost their lives.

The grim toll is staggering. According to officials, 37 people were killed, and dozens more were injured, out of the 60 passengers who had boarded the ill-fated bus. Survivors were rushed to local medical centers, including the Camaná hospital, and the Honorio Delgado and EsSalud clinics.

Wrecked bus near the Ocoña river after the accident on the rough stretch of the Pan-American Highway South in Peru, from a video dated November 12, 2025 | Source: Youtube/NDTV

Miraculously, both drivers of the bus and the pickup truck survived the catastrophic impact. Local prosecutors Luis Supo Ramos and Jorge Medina Chávez, along with deputy prosecutor Clisman Ala Gordillo, raced to the scene to supervise the recovery and transport of the bodies.

Meanwhile, Arequipa's Medical-Legal Division is expected to conduct autopsies and forensic examinations, while the national police continue their investigation into this heartbreaking catastrophe. The bus driver, a key figure in the ongoing case, has since been taken into custody.

Authorities involved in recovery efforts after the accident on the rough stretch of the Pan-American Highway South in Peru, from a video dated November 12, 2025 | Source: Youtube/NDTV

First responders on the scene relayed the devastating details to Arequipa's Regional Health Chief, Walther Oporto, who told local media that 36 victims were declared dead at the crash site, while one more succumbed to injuries at a nearby medical center.

Among the 25 injured, three are minors — innocent children caught in a nightmare that should never have happened.

Emergency efforts after the accident on the rough stretch of the Pan-American Highway South in Peru, from a video dated November 12, 2025 | Source: Youtube/NDTV

Road safety in the Latin American country has long been a cause for concern. Crashes like this are heartbreakingly common, especially at night and on mountain highways like the one where this tragedy unfolded.

Poor infrastructure, minimal safety signage, and reckless driving habits all converge into a recipe for disaster.

Bus crash near the Ocoña river after the accident on the rough stretch of the Pan-American Highway South in Peru, from a video dated November 12, 2025 | Source: Youtube/NDTV

Speaking to local radio station RPP, Waldor Llerena, the district mayor of Ocoña, gave a haunting reminder of the area's grim reputation. He said the 780-kilometer stretch of the Pan-American Highway where the crash occurred has long been known for its deadly "rugged" terrain.

It's a claim tragically backed by statistics. In 2022 alone, Peru saw more than 3,300 lives lost in traffic accidents.

The Pan-American Highway, which spans from the frozen north of Alaska to the southern tip of Argentina, holds the title of the world's longest motorable road.

But for the families mourning the loss of 37 loved ones in Peru, it now symbolizes only pain. We offer our condolences to them at this time.