At least 38 people were killed and 15 injured severely in a bus crash early Sunday in Ancash province, 400 km north of Lima, police said.

The bus was carrying 70 passengers from Chacas of Ancash province to Lima when it fell into a 300-meter-deep gorge near Huaraz, capital of Ancash province. Thirty-eight passengers died on the spot, said police.

According to the primary results of investigation, perilous road and break glitch caused the accident.

The injured people were taken to hospitals in Huaraz by rescue personnel.

Hundreds of people die in bus crashes every year in Peru, because of perilous roads, poorly maintained vehicles and misjudgment by drivers in atrocious weather conditions.

(Xinhua News Agency August 2, 2004)