A coffin plunged into a river as family members carried it across a rickety bridge.
Mourners were carrying the casket to the burial plot when the log bridge collapsed under their weight.
Relentless heavy rains sent river levels surging across the region, triggering fast-moving currents that threatened local communities.
READ MORE: Influencer discovers she has cancer after mistaking symptoms for constipation
Footage showed the procession slowly venturing across the wobbly overpass.
The bridge then collapsed at one end, sending mourners tumbling into the river as onlookers screamed in shock.
At one point, the coffin opened and the body nearly fell into the fast-moving water.
One man was apparently trapped under the casket’s weight.
Funeral goers then scrambled to prevent the coffin from being swept away.
The chaotic scenes were filmed in the village of Lanchema in the northern Peruvian department of Cajamarca on Tuesday morning (17 Mar).
Loved ones were carrying the coffin of Adbias Eredia Bazán to the burial site when the bridge suddenly gave way, triggering screams and scenes of panic.
Fortunately, they managed to retrieve the casket and no one was reported as injured.
The burial then went ahead without further incident.
Residents complained that the log bridge had been showing clear signs of deterioration in the months leading up to the collapse, as reported by Need To Know.
It had apparently been weakened further by recent heavy rains in the northern Peruvian Andes.
The National Meteorology and Hydrology Service of Peru had issued warnings about the possibility of flash floods and landslides in the mountainous region.
READ MORE: Helicopter transporting body of dead man SLAMS into hillside after winds cause shock crash
