Irishman killed in Peru bus crash
An Irishman killed in a horrific bus crash in Peru has been named as David Scollard.
Mr Scollard died alongside at least five other people, including the bus driver, when a double-decker bus missed a bridge and crashed into a dry riverbed in the South American country.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said its Irish Embassy in Mexico and the Honorary Consul in Peru was assisting the 21-year-old’s family.
The overnight bus carrying locals and foreign tourists plunged into a gorge near the Inca capital Cuzco, close to some of Peru’s Machu Picchu ruins.
The bus went off the road in Urcos around 28 miles south east of Cuzco.
Around 37 other travellers, including tourists from several European countries, were injured in the accident.
The bus apparently crashed 60 feet down an embankment before it came to rest on the rocky riverbed.
A police officer said the accident happened at around 4.30am local time yesterday at a bridge crossing the Cachimayo River in the Andes mountains.
Investigators said the weather was clear and it was suspected the bus driver either fell asleep or was speeding.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Affairs Department said no other Irish person was involved in the accident.
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