Six dead in Peru bus crash

The bus was thought to be driving locals and European tourists

Six people have died and 37, including two Britons, have been injured in a bus crash in Peru.

The passengers were on an overnight double-decker bus when it plunged into a dry riverbed at 0430 local time (1030 BST) on Wednesday.

The injured were taken to hospitals and clinics in the nearby city of Cuzco, in central Peru.

The crash happened in Urcos, 28 miles south east of the town, the UK Foreign Office said.

The Foreign Office would not say how badly the British travellers were hurt.

The cause of the accident has not been determined but investigators said they thought the bus driver, who died in the crash, either fell asleep or was speeding.

The bus was travelling along the highway between Lake Titicaca, on the border with Bolivia, and Cuzco - the Inca capital and a popular base for tourists heading to the ruins of Machu Picchu.

It was believed to be carrying a mixture of locals and European tourists.

The nationalities of the dead were reported to be five Peruvians and one Irish male tourist.

Two Israelis and one French tourist were understood to be among the injured.