One driver killed and traffic snarled after truck crash in Lima

A tanker-truck driver died after a multiple-vehicle collision early Wednesday on Lima’s Panamericana Norte highway, leaving heavy traffic in the north of the capital.

The crash occurred near the Hogar bus stop at kilometer 37.5 in the Puente Piedra district. The tanker collided with other heavy vehicles waiting for a traffic light to change. Six heavy and light vehicles were involved, according to Peru’s National Police.

“The incident involved six vehicles and left one person dead, whose identity is in the process of being established,” police said in a notice on social media. Local media reported that at least two injured people were taken to a nearby hospital.

Police remained at the site during the morning rush hour, carrying out investigative and safety operations and controlling the area. Several loaded trucks overturned, scattering their cargo across the highway. Crews began removing the vehicles and clearing the road to restore traffic gradually.

Police data cited in the report says 1,881 people had died in traffic accidents in Peru by the end of July this year. Of those deaths, 309 occurred on highways, with speeding, drunk driving and overtaking on blind curves identified among the causes.