Bus collides with truck in Peru, killing 24

Crashes common in jungle, but this one happens on Pan-American Highway

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updated 11:11 p.m. ET July 1, 2007

LIMA, Peru - A passenger bus crashed into an oncoming truck in northern Peru on Sunday, killing 24 people.

The vehicles were traveling in opposite directions on a stretch of the Pan-American Highway before dawn when they collided.

Victor Ordinola, chief of Peru’s highway police, said three children were among those killed.

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Police officer Percy Huaranca said the cause of the crash was under investigation. The drivers of both vehicles were killed, he said.

Bus crashes are common in Peru’s Andes and jungle, claiming hundreds of lives every year due to narrow and rocky roads, reckless drivers and poorly maintained vehicles. Sunday’s crash, however, took place on a paved highway near the country’s northern coast.