LIMA, Peru (AFP)— At least 23 people were killed in Peru when a bus crashed in the northern part of the country, careening down a 1,000-foot (300-metre) ravine, authorities said Tuesday.

The crash occurred on a remote, rural road in the Cusca district in the northern Andean province of Corongo, in the country’s north.

Rescue operations were underway in the difficult-to-access area, located some 10,000 feet (3,250 metres) above sea level, the Regional Emergency Operations Center for the Ancash Region said.

The death toll rose from a count of 20 earlier in the day, with six injured, after three people died of serious injuries.

Road accidents, in particular deadly bus crashes, are frequent in the South American country, especially those involving drivers going at high speeds on poorly maintained mountain roads.

“The road is in terrible condition… those are the consequences,” Carlos Pinedo, mayor of Yanac, a town near the accident site, told local media.

Police have not determined the cause of the accident.

In September, 25 bus passengers died in an accident in the south of the country.

Not even a month later, in August, another accident in the same region killed 13, leaving five seriously injured.