Lima, May 5 (Inditop.com/EFE) At least 17 people were killed and 30 injured in a bus accident in Peru, officials said.

The bus carrying officials of the Pampino company plunged into a ravine near Tarica town Monday evening, a police spokesmen was quoted as saying Tuesday by Radio Programas del Peru.

The injured were taken to hospitals, but some of the bodies are still in the wreckage, the spokesmen said.

Over 3,500 people were killed in traffic accidents in 2009. The accidents also left 46,000 others injured and caused $1 billion in losses.

Peru has the highest death rate from traffic accidents in Latin America – 30 deaths per 10,000 vehicles, a report by the National Ombudsman’s Office said.