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Arequipa Bus Disaster: Detained Pickup Driver’s Blood Test Below Legal Limit

Police cite a 10-hour delay between alcohol tests; prosecutors continue the homicide inquiry.

Overview

  • Authorities report 37 deaths after a Llamosas interprovincial bus plunged about 200 meters into a ravine at km 780–781 of the Panamericana Sur near Ocoña following a collision with a pickup.
  • The detained driver, identified as Hennry Branddy Rey Apaclla Ñaupari, tested positive on a qualitative alcohol screen, while a later quantitative blood test measured 0.25 g/l versus the 0.50 g/l legal limit.
  • Police attribute the discrepancy to the roughly 10-hour gap between tests, and the driver remains under investigation on suspicion of culpable homicide.
  • Forensic teams are conducting necropsies and technical examinations, and the medical-legal institute has delivered most bodies, with several still awaiting pickup by relatives.
  • Local officials and transport industry representatives say the crash site lacks protective barriers and note a deadly 2018 bus accident occurred at the same location.