The Ático–Ocoña section of the Panamericana Sur again registers a major accident after an interprovincial bus from the Llamosas company fell into a ravine, leaving 37 fatalities. The event put into observation the current conditions of this national highway and the state of its security elements.
In February 2018a bus from the Rey Latino company got lost at kilometer 780 of the same corridor and fell into a ravine, causing 45 dead and more than 20 injured. The vehicle did not have authorization to circulate, according to reports issued at that time.
The area of the 2018 accident had been designated as high risk area due to its slope and pronounced curves. Reports from the time recorded impact against an insufficient safety barrier and the absence of reinforced infrastructure to contain heavy vehicles.
Despite this background, the road corridor continued operating without the execution of structural works such as modern retaining walls, continuous defenses or landslide warning systems. The existing elements remained under maintenance schemes.
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Provias Nacional, the entity in charge of the section, maintains routine and periodic conservation contracts. These interventions include cleaning, basic signage and occasional repair, but They do not incorporate fundamental modifications to the road infrastructure of the sector.
Regional, provincial and district governments have powers to request interventions from the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Administrative records show sporadic communications in different periods, without comprehensive work having been completed in the sector.
Traffic in this corridor includes interprovincial transportation, cargo vehicles and units linked to mining activities in the southern zone. The constant circulation of heavy units increases the need for reinforced infrastructure, according to previous technical reports.
The absence of a double track between Ático and Ocoña It has appeared for years in sectoral proposals and preliminary studies of the MTC. This alternative has been evaluated as a structural solution to reduce risks and improve the operational capacity of the corridor.
Various entities have also recommended incorporate continuous metal defensestaller retaining walls, reflective signage, reinforced guardrails and speed control systems at critical points identified in previous supervisions.
The recent accident adds to a history of accidents recorded in the same section in recent decades. The technical reports and the background review show that the structural conditions of the corridor maintain risks that have not yet been intervened.
IMPACTED BUS
The The fall of the Llamosas company bus was caused by a driver who would have been drunk, the driver Henry Apaclla Ñaupari (35) was arrested by the Police and could face a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Relatives of the deceased hope that this fact is clarified so that their relatives rest in peace.
