Nine musicians from a folkloric orchestra die after a bus crash in the Peruvian Andes

At least nine musicians died early Monday in a bus accident in Peru’s central Andes when the bus went off the road and plunged into a 200-meter-deep abyss, prosecutors said.

In a statement, the Peruvian Public Prosecutor’s Office said the accident occurred in the town of Cochas Bajo, at an altitude of more than 3,696 meters. Prosecutor Joanie Castillo said that eight musicians from the “Antología del Folklore” orchestra in Lima died in the accident of the bus that was transporting the group and another died in the Hospital of Tarma, Junín region.

The authorities have not yet clarified the cause of the accident. According to the police, the main causes of accidents are driver recklessness, speeding and drunk driving, as of 2023.

Another 11 members of the orchestra were injured. One of the surviving musicians, Gilmer Venturo, told RPP radio that they were sleeping when the accident occurred and that he woke up 50 meters from the “Tumi de Oro” bus.

“I woke up in the darkness of the early morning, my colleagues were saying ‘help’ and complaining of pain,” he recalled.

The musician said that they do not have work or life insurance and that they live off the money they earn from their performances in front of the public in different locations.

Peru’s road transport oversight is weak and rescue is often slow and disorganized, resulting in injuries and deaths near the roads, according to experts who have been saying for nearly two decades that the solution is a comprehensive transport reform that no government has yet initiated.

In 2023, there were 3,138 deaths and 58,082 injuries due to traffic accidents, according to a police report.

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