Moment rockfall sees huge boulders wipe out two lorries on mountain road

05 March 2024 , 08:20

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A huge rock can be seen landing on the road (Image: CEN)

A massive rockfall saw two lorries wiped out with vehicle parts scattered along the roadside.

Dramatic footage caught the moment the lorries were crushed in a procession of vehicles that were travelling along a road in the San Mateo District, Peru, on March 2.

A driver was heading through the mountainous region, and he is heard first complaining of the road conditions before a huge rock hits the vehicle in front. He is then seen desperately trying to undo his seatbelt before his lorry was also struck by the falling stones.

With the camera still rolling, the stones could be seen to continue to fall but incredibly there were no victims, as the rocks hit the rear of the first lorry, allowing the driver to escape, according to local media.

Another piece of footage shows the road after the rockfall with drivers and passengers surveying the scene with the road covered in boulders and unpassable. The authorities who went to the scene found the two lorries destroyed. One of the lorries lost all its load, torn away by the rock, and the other was left with its trailer crushed.

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The traffic on the road was stopped for four hours while cleaning and restoration work was carried out, according to local media. Authorities launched an investigation into the incident in order to determine the causes of the slide, although local media reported that it could have been caused by the recent rains.

Roads in the mountainous regions of Peru are notoriously dangerous and this latest incident has led to more concerns raised by drivers. Last October a British tourist has died and more than 20 other holidaymakers were injured in a coach crash in Peru.

The holidaymakers, many of them foreign nationals, were on their way to a popular destination called the Mountain of Seven Colours in the Peruvian Andes when the vehicle came off the road and rolled over several times before ending up on its side. A 32-year-old man, who police confirmed to be a British national, died in the incident after reportedly becoming trapped under the coach.

The tragedy happened on October 16 near the locality of Tintinco in the district of Cusitapa on the road leading to the Mountain of Seven Colours. The tourist hotspot is a mountain in the Peruvian Andes at more than 17,000ft above sea level which is in the country’s Cusco Region.

Tim Hanlon