LIMA, Sept 19, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - A bus plummeted from the edge of a narrow mountain road in southeastern Peru on Monday, killing 25 people including two children, according to authorities.

The accident occurred before dawn when the bus traveling between two Andean towns careened down a 200-meter (656-foot) ravine in the region of Huancavelica, a police official told AFP.

"The toll is 25 dead and 34 injured," Defense Minister Jorge Chavez said.

Images of the site showed the battered bus lying on its side near a river, with debris and personal items strewn around.

Police and rescue workers combed the scene, while onlookers watched from the narrow dirt road up above.

President Dina Boluarte, in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, conveyed her condolences to the victims' loved ones.

An accident in the same region last month left 13 people dead and five seriously injured.

Accidents frequently occur along Peruvian highways due to speeding, poor road conditions, lack of signage and poor enforcement of traffic rules.

The World Health Organization estimated 4,414 road fatalities in Peru in 2019, or 13.6 per 100,000 inhabitants.