Arequipa: A whole family dies after motorcycle taxi falls to a ravine in the Colca Valley

Regrettable accident. Four members of a family, the couple and their two children, lost their lives while riding a motorcycle taxi on the Yanque-Chivay road in the Colca Valley, Arequipa, who suffered a traffic accident, got lost track and fell into the abyss of approximately 200 meters. This was reported by the Peruvian National Police.

The family had left Yanque last Sunday night, but did not reach their destination (Chivay). In response, the father of the deceased mother, Alejo Choque Vilcazan, informed the police of the disappearance of his daughter, Judith Ydalia Choque Apaza (21 years old), his son-in-law José Luis Mamani Supo and their two grandchildren (aged 5 and 3).

According to information provided by Judith's father, the family participated in a marriage. Therefore, it is presumed that they were tired and, apparently, the motorcycle taxi driver would have fallen asleep.

Twelve police officers mobilized to the area to search for the family and reached the Kiparani sector where after descending about 180 meters they managed to find the family's bodies. The motorcycle taxi also fell to the Colca River.

The bodies were transferred to the central morgue after the arrival of a representative of the Public Prosecutor's Office.

MOTORCYCLE AND MOTORCYCLE TAXI ACCIDENTS

It should be noted that from January to September 2021, 766 traffic accidents with fatal consequences were recorded throughout the country, in which motorcycles, motorcycle taxis and motorcyclists were involved bicycles, as reported by the Peruvian National Police (PNP).

Of the figure mentioned, 584 correspond to accidents involving motorcycles, 119 with motorcycle taxis and 63 with bicycles, Colonel PNP Oljer Benavides, head of the Traffic Accident Prevention Division of the National Police, told the Andean Agency.

In the same period, 12,300 non-fatal accidents on motorcycles, 5,572 in motorcycle taxis, 687 on bicycles and 156 on tricycles were reported nationwide. In these cases, there was physical injury to the victims and material damage.

The departments with the highest number of units involved in non-fatal accidents involving minor vehicles were Lima (7,643), followed by Piura (1,495), La Libertad (1,374), Junín (818) and Arequipa (645).

In addition, from January to November 2021, 128 deaths have been reported from accidents in minor vehicles in Metropolitan Lima alone. Of this total, 96 involved motorcycles, 19 cyclists and 13 motorcycle taxis.

With regard to motorcycles, October 2021 was the month with the highest number of fatal accidents, with 17 cases, followed by June (11 cases), July (10) and March 2021 (9).

EARTHQUAKE IN AREQUIPA

On the other hand, last Friday, an earthquake of 5.5 degrees in Caylloma, Arequipa, left more than 670 homes affected and at least 286 uninhabitable, according to the Regional Emergency Operations Center (COER).

The district of Maca was the most affected, as it concentrated most of the earthquake epicenters in the area. In the material damage inspection, 180 affected buildings and 60 homes were counted that could not be used due to the risk of their inhabitants. In the district of Lari, 70 houses were also registered uninhabitable and 150 affected. In the case of El Madrigal, there are 60 uninhabitable houses and in Cabanaconde, 50 buildings with serious structural damage.

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