Living in Peru : your everyday companion

(LIP-ir) -- The National Highway Protection Directorate for Peru's National Police identified the five most dangerous routes for passengers traveling on buses and warned them to take the necessary precautions, especially now that the holiday season was approaching.

Chief of Peru's Highway Protection Directorate, Colonel Víctor Ordinola Ruiz stated that among the most dangerous routes were the Ayacucho–Huancavelica-Huancayo route in Junin as well as the Ayacucho–Ica route and the Bagua Grande–Tarapoto route on Fernando Belaunde Terry highway.

In Apurímac, Peru it was reported that the road taken from Andahuaylas to Pampachiri was also dangerous. In the province of Lima, passengers were warned when taking Panamericana Norte highway, from Ancón (Lima) to Chimbote (Áncash).

When referring to the Fernando Belaunde Terry highway, the police colonel stated that factors which contributed to making the route dangerous were the length of the highway, which made it difficult to guard and heavy rain, which made it easier for thieves to "do their dirty work."

Peru's national police colonel stated that the highways in the Ayacucho region were dangerous because this was a "wild area" and on top of that, parts of the region have been seriously affected by terrorism.

In Lima, the part of the Panamericana Norte highway that was most affected by thieves robbing buses was the province of Barranca. The police colonel explained that thieves used the paths made by farmers to trick drivers into taking detours and then robbed the passengers on the buses.