LIMA, March 24, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - At least 13 people were killed Monday in a head-on collision of a minivan and a big-rig truck on a highway in the Arequipa region of southern Peru, authorities told AFP.

"We have 13 reported fatalities," regional public health official Walther Oporto told AFP. Five more were injured and hospitalized at a medical center.

Local media reported both drivers were killed in the accident, which occurred on the outskirts of the small town of San Antonio de Chuca, more than 1,100 kilometers from Lima, on the Andean plateau.

The big-rig truck had Brazilian license plates.

Authorities have been able to confirm the identities of two of the victims thus far, and the cause of the crash is under investigation.

More than 3,000 deaths were recorded on Peru's roads last year, according to official data.