At least 19 people were killed and 15 others injured Monday when a bus carrying 55 passengers plunged into a 200-meter-deep ravine in Lima Province, Northern Peru.

The bus lost control while traveling in the Canete region, with 17 killed on the spot, two more succumbing to injuries, the Lima Provincial Highway Police said.

Mechanical failure was believed to be the cause of this accident, according to a preliminary investigation by the police. This is the third such serious accident over the past two weeks.

An average of more than 80,000 traffic accidents are reported in Peru each year, claiming over 5,000 lives.