At least 18 dead, dozens injured in Peru bus crash
The double-decker bus belonging to the company Expreso Molina Líder Internacional went off the road and fell down a slope in the district of Palca, Junín region, Junin's health director Clifor Curipaco told reporters on Friday.
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the accident.
Videos broadcast on local television showed the bus split in two, while firefighters and police tried to rescue the injured.
It was not the first fatal bus accident in 2025, another bus fell into a river on January 3, leaving six people dead and 32 injured.
A study by the Attorney-General's Office found driver recklessness and excessive speed are the main causes of accidents in Peru.
Road transportation is poorly monitored by authorities in Peru, and emergency assistance is so slow and disorganised.
In 2024, there were approximately 3173 deaths as a result of traffic accidents in the South American country, according to official data from the Death Information System.
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Associated Press
a day ago
- Associated Press
Survivor of clergy sex abuse in Peru visits pope's hometown to call for more reforms
CHICAGO (AP) — A Peruvian survivor of clergy sex abuse brought her public campaign for reforms to the American hometown of Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, saying he failed in investigating her case when he was a bishop in her home country and needs to step up now as leader of the world's Catholics. 'I've been quiet since the pope has been elected,' Ana María Quispe Díaz said in Spanish at a news conference in downtown Chicago. 'But I'm not planning to be quiet forever.' She appeared with members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. The advocacy group sent a letter to the pope on Thursday renewing demands for more accountability on clergy sex abuse complaints and released documents related to Díaz's case. The Associated Press doesn't name people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they consent to being identified or decide to tell their stories publicly, as Díaz has. She began speaking out on social media in 2023, and has faced threats and harassment in Peru because of it, SNAP officials said. Ahead of Leo's May election, SNAP filed a formal complaint against then-Cardinal Robert Prevost with the Vatican secretary of state, alleging he abused ecclesiastical power in his handling of two cases. Díaz said she is a victim in one of those cases which overlapped with Prevost's tenure as bishop of Chiclayo, Peru. According to the complaint filed in March by SNAP, Prevost's diocese didn't fully investigate in April 2022 when three women accused priests Eleuterio Vásquez Gonzáles and Ricardo Yesquén of sexually abusing them as minors. Díaz said Thursday that she had spoken briefly with Prevost on the phone in 2020, telling him how she was abused by Vásquez Gonzáles, but wasn't given assurances that much could be done. All three women spoke with Prevost in person in 2022 about both priests, according to Díaz. 'How much more damage can he do now that he is the pope?' she asked, speaking through a translator. Following a protocol set by Pope Francis But Prevost did everything he was supposed to do, according to the Chiclayo diocese and Vatican, including restricting the priest's ministry, sending a preliminary investigation to the Vatican's sex crimes office, offering the victims psychological help and suggesting they go to authorities, who archived the case because it happened too long ago. Pope Francis had a mixed record on responding to the clergy sexual abuse crisis, bungling a major case in Chile in 2018 before reversing course, ordering an investigation and apologizing to the victims. Ultimately, it became a turning point for how he directed the church to handle cases of priests sexually abusing children for the rest of his papacy. In these cases, the Vatican investigation found Prevost acted correctly in imposing preliminary restrictions on Vásquez Gonzáles while Peruvian authorities conducted their own civil investigation. The Vatican office archived the case for lack of evidence, then reopened it in 2023 after it gained traction in the media. Victims' groups are demanding an accounting from Leo. Meanwhile, his supporters say the Chiclayo case is being exploited by his opponents to undermine him after he made enemies by helping shut down Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a scandal-plagued lay Catholic community in Peru. No one has accused Leo of abuse himself, nor of knowingly keeping confirmed abusers in public ministry, which has been the biggest issue affecting the Catholic Church recently. SNAP wants this accused priest removed ASAP SNAP has asked for accused priests to be removed, which Díaz has sought as well. The organization provided copies of letters sent in July between Peruvian church officials and Díaz. In them, Peruvian church officials say Vásquez Gonzáles requested earlier this year 'to be dispensed from the obligations arising from his ordination as a priest and to leave the clerical state.' The process would take at least six months to complete, according to the letters. Díaz said that's too long. Fidel Purisaca, director of communications for the Diocese of Chiclayo, neither confirmed nor denied Vásquez Gonzáles' request. 'That is a confidential matter between the priest, the bishop, and the Vatican Dicastery,' he told The Associated Press in a WhatsApp message. The diocese said Yesquén was too sick to continue his ministry, and neither priest has commented publicly on the accusations. While in Chicago, Díaz did interviews with Spanish language media and for podcasts. She also appeared at SNAP's annual conference in Pennsylvania last week. Now 29 and a mother of two young children, Díaz said she still isn't always ready to talk about it. But she said something changed when her daughter turned 1. 'Everything came back to me about the abuse,' she said, wiping tears at times. 'I couldn't leave her alone. Since then it's been a real fight for me to be able to leave them alone.' ___ Associated Press writer Nicole Winfield in Rome and Franklin Briceño in Lima, Peru, contributed to this report.
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Survivors of clergy sexual abuse say Pope Leo XIV covered up reported abuse in Peru
Survivors of clergy abuse held a news conference Thursday to speak out against alleged coverups in the U.S. in Peru by Pope Leo XIV when he was a bishop. Ana Maria Quispe Diaz spoke with an interpreter, saying her case was directly covered up by then-Bishop Robert Prevost during his time in the Diocese of Chiclayo. She said she reported abuse by a priest to the archbishop and a mediator in 2022. She was told by the mediator that the priest took responsibility, but he was moved to another clergy and was still able to practice. She said Pope Leo never actually investigated the case and claimed she and other victims received mental health support, which they did not. Now survivors and advocates are calling for accountability from the pope and the Catholic Church.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Double sex attacker's 'unduly lenient' ten-year jail sentence to be reviewed
A double sex attacker is set to have his ten-year jail sentence reviewed for being 'too lenient'. Arshad Chaudrhy sexually assaulted one girl on multiple occasions in 2017 and, three years later, sexually assaulted another woman and attempted to rape her. The 50-year-old was arrested after the two victims bravely came forward - and was then charged with seven sexual assaults, one attempted sexual assault and one attempted rape. He denied all the offences at court but the jury saw through his lies. He was found guilty and sentenced to ten years in prison. However, a spokesperson for the Attorney General's Office (AGO) has now confirmed that Chaudrhy's sentence had been referred under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme. They said: 'I can confirm that the Solicitor General has referred Arshad Chadurhy sentence to the Court of Appeal as they agree that it appears unduly lenient. 'It is now for the court to decide whether to increase the sentence.' As previously reported, Chaudrhy was jailed on June 23 this year at Teesside Crown Court. Following the sentencing, investigating officer Detective Constable Neil Chisholm from CET said: 'Chaudrhy targeted these two women in pursuit of his own sexual gratification. 'His crimes have had a lasting impact on his victims who were put through even more trauma when he tried to deny his crimes. 'Thankfully the jury saw through his lies and found him guilty. I'm pleased that justice has today been served and that he is now in prison where he can't hurt anyone else. 'Hopefully it has brought some closure to the victims. 'I'd like to thank the victims for their courage and strength throughout this whole process. I'd encourage anyone who has been sexually assaulted to come forward and report it. 'We will fully investigate it and support you throughout.' It's never too late to report an incident to police. The force has specially trained officers who will support you throughout. You can report at any time of day or night online via the Cleveland Police website or by phoning 101. Anyone who has been a victim of rape or sexual abuse can contact Teesside Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) for help and support, regardless of whether or not the offence has been reported to police. SARC provides 24-hour crisis intervention and a range of options.
