This handout picture released by GP Canal news agency shows a bus accident in the Peruvian region of Piura, north of Lima, on Jan 28, 2023. (PHOTO / GP CANAL / AFP)

At least 24 people died in northern Peru after a bus carrying 60 passengers plunged off a cliff in early on Saturday, police told local media.

Peru's transportation supervisory agency (SUTRAN) confirmed the crash in a statement, without providing a number of fatalities or injuries.

The tragedy, involving a bus for the company Q'Orianka Tours Aguila Dorada, occurred in the district of El Alto in the far north of Peru, SUTRAN said.

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SUTRAN said early investigations showed the bus appeared to have an up-to-date safety inspection and accident insurance.

Road accidents are relatively common in Peru, with many drivers operating vehicles on precarious roads and without proper training. In 2021, 29 people died when a bus plunged off a highway in the Andes mountains.