Eight members of the same orchestra died when their tour bus veered off the road and plunged into a ravine.
Nine people died and 12 more were injured in the accident yesterday (22 Jul) morning,
The victims included eight members of the Antología del Folklore orchestra and the coach driver.
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The 20-man band, most of whom played the sax, had finished a gig the night before and were on their way to their next show.
According to some of the survivors, the accident happened when the driver swerved to avoid a collision, as reported on Need To Know.
The vehicle plunged down a 200m (656 ft) ravine, according to reports.
Omar Valdivia told local media: “A car suddenly moved into the driver’s lane.
“And to avoid crashing into it, the driver had to steer slightly, which caused the bus to go off the edge.”
The incident occurred on the La Oroya-Tarma highway near Cochas Bajo in Peru’s Junín region.
Local media say the stretch of road where the accident happened is unpaved, but Valdivia said: “The road was fine.
“We were heading from Oxapampa to Lima for a commitment, but we were caught by the unfortunate timing of this accident, which happened while we were asleep.”
Another survivor, Gilmer Diego Venturo, said the driver wasn’t speeding at the time “because it was all uphill”.
He recalled: “I was about 50 metres from the road when I woke up.
“Only my colleagues who were less seriously injured were shouting for help.”
Col. Yoni Rolando Valderrama of the National Police said: “I’ve been informed that the official route was from Jauja to Tarma.
“But this vehicle had deviated from that route and was on an unauthorised road.”
It reportedly took the emergency services an hour and a half to arrive at the crash site.
Some of the survivors have already been discharged, while others are still in hospital.
Yohan Molina Carhuancho, 30, has head trauma, chest trauma and a pelvic injury.
The deceased victims have been named as Ricardo Trujillo Nolasco, Jhon Charly Poma Aliaga, César Cárdenas, William Fabián, Rolando Huacho Jacinto, Martín Monzón Fernández, Jaime Curi Julcarima, Ricki Reyes, and driver Hugo Rosales Gómez.
The accident is under investigation.
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