Death toll rises to 12 in Peru bus crash

At least twelve people have been confirmed dead in Peru after a bus plunged into a 200-metre-deep ravine earlier in the week, the official news agency Andina reported on Saturday.

The accident in the central region of Huancavelica occurred late on October 29 and left at least 19 of the 45 people aboard injured, while the remainder are still missing.

Among the dead are two information technology students - a man and a woman - from Germany, travelling with two other classmates who are among the missing. The four - all between the ages of 25 and 27 - were returning from a friend's wedding.

According to media reports, there is little hope of finding any survivors as the bus fell into a flooded river surrounded by rough terrain.

On Friday, marine divers found the bodies of the bus driver and a 30-year-old woman, Andina. Around 20 divers are still searching for the missing.

The accident occurred when a lorry entered the same lane the bus was driving in on a bend, making the driver lose orientation, the website RPP Noticias reported.