At least 37 people were killed when a bus traveling through the mountainous Arequipa region of Peru collided with a pickup truck and plunged about 200 metres (650 feet) into a ravine, officials said.

The bus, carrying around 60 passengers, was traveling from a mining district toward the city of Arequipa around 12:30 a.m. local time (05:30 GMT) on Wednesday when it hit the pickup and veered off the highway, according to public broadcaster TV Peru. Thirty-six passengers died on the spot, while one more later succumbed to injuries at a hospital. About 20 others were injured.

Authorities said the pickup truck driver tested positive for alcohol. Photos from the scene showed the front of the truck badly damaged and the bus lying on its side amid debris scattered over rocky terrain.

“This isn’t the first tragedy in this area. Years ago, another bus crashed at the same spot, killing 50 people,” regional health manager Walther Oporto told TV Peru.

Peru has a high rate of road fatalities due to reckless driving and difficult road conditions. Last year, the country recorded more than 3,000 deaths from traffic accidents. The Arequipa crash comes after similar bus accidents in July and August that killed at least 28 people, and a January incident in which six people died when a bus plunged into a river.
 
 
 With inputs from AL Zazeera