7 dead in Peru as truck plunges off cliff

At least 17 people were killed and 32 injured after a passenger truck plunged off a 150-metre-high cliff in Peru’s Amazonian region, authorities said on Monday.

The accident occurred on Sunday in north-central Huanuco department after the vehicle veered out of its lane and plunged off near the town of Cahuah, Xinhua quoted the highway police as saying.

More than 50 people were on board at the time, including dozens of students from the Cesar Vallejo public school who had attended a school parade.

The injured, some in serious condition, were taken to nearby hospitals.

Regional authorities said they were probing as to why the truck was being used to transport people.