14 killed as passenger van plunges into 500-meter abyss in Peru's Cajamarca region

Fourteen people died and five were injured when a passenger van plunged into a 500-meter-deep abyss in the Cajamarca region of Peru. The tragic accident occurred on Thursday afternoon, July 16, around 4:00 p.m., on kilometer 153+600 in the Chotén sector.

The vehicle, belonging to the company Veloz del Valle, was traveling the Cajamarca–Ciudad de Dios route when it lost control on a curve near a local cemetery. The impact caused the combi to veer off the road and fall into the steep ravine, leaving the vehicle completely destroyed.

Rescue operations, involving firefighters from Cajamarca and Los Baños del Inca, police, and emergency medical services (SAMU), were extensive and challenging. The depth of the precipice and difficult access to the crash site complicated efforts. Rescuers worked for hours into the night, hampered by darkness, to search for victims trapped under the wreckage.

Among the injured are Manuel Cabanillas Saavedra, 56; Jenifer Arribasplata León, 23; Lily Noemí Ramos Guayac, 21; and two minors aged one and four. They were transported to the Regional Hospital of Cajamarca. Tragically, a nurse from EsSalud Cajamarca, Haydi Milagros Guevara Rivera, was among the fatalities. Her colleagues held a vigil outside the morgue to honor her memory. Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash, with bodies expected to be released to families on Friday, July 17.

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the lack of lighting complicated the tasks; however, he assured that the team would not suspend the search until all victims were recovered.