WATCH: Peru bus crash leaves at least 37 dead and 18 injured in Arequipa

A devastating bus crash in Peru has killed at least 37 people and left 18 others injured, according to local authorities. The tragedy occurred early Friday morning when an interprovincial bus traveling through the Ocoña district in Arequipa plunged into a 200-meter-deep ravine along the Panamericana Sur highway.

WATCH the video circulating on social media that shows emergency teams working at the crash site, where twisted wreckage and debris covered the steep terrain.

Rescue workers, firefighters, and police officers rushed to the scene to assist survivors, while the injured were transported to nearby hospitals in Camaná and Arequipa. Officials said the bus was carrying more than 40 passengers when it veered off the road.

Preliminary reports suggest the vehicle may have been speeding before losing control on a sharp curve, though the exact cause remains under investigation.

Authorities have since launched an inquiry into the accident, one of the deadliest road disasters to hit Peru in recent years.