At least 14 dead in Peru traffic accident

At least 14 people were killed and 40 others injured after a bus crashed into parked cars in the south of Peru, police said on Monday.

The accident happened early Monday on the main coastal highway used by many tour bus companies and linking the capital Lima with Arequipa in the south. Police and firefighters took the injured to hospitals in Arequipa and Nazca, two cities that attract large numbers of tourists.

"We're working at the accident site" in the Arequipa region, said traffic police colonel Erlyn Silva.

"It's possible it was provoked by speeding." The bus had left Lima and was heading to Arequipa, a journey of around 16 hours.

Deadly traffic accidents are frequent in Peru, particularly during the rainy season at this time of year, but also due to poor road surfaces, insufficient signage and a lack of control by authorities.

In 2019, 1,123 people died in traffic accidents in Peru, the interior ministry said.