Media

Home page

Media

At least 20 reportedly killed in Peru bus fire

01 April 2019 07:33 (UTC +04:00)

At least 20 people were killed and nearly a dozen injured, including children when a regional bus caught fire on Sunday evening at a Peruvian transport terminal, local media reported, ONA reports quoting sputniknews.

According to the Peru21 news media outlet, the bus en route from Lima to Chiclayo was full of passengers when the interior of the vehicle was engulfed in smoke and flames. The incident reportedly occurred at the Fiori terminal in Lima's northern San Martin de Porres district.

There have been no offcial statements on the cause of the incident. Local authorities have launched the investigation into the incident. Local media suggested that an electrical fault at the rear of the vehicle could have triggered the blaze.

According to the eyewitnesses, cited by local media, the fire erupted in the first-floor cabin of the two-story bus. Many passengers were reportedly trapped in the upper cabin, trying to escape from the burning vehicle. Local emergency services said, cited by the El Comercio new media outlet, that the bus was not equipped with fire extinguishers.