10 dead after van falls off cliff precipice in Bolivia

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AFP)—Ten people died and four more were injured when a van plunged off a cliff in a mountainous region of western Bolivia on Monday, police reported. The accident occurred in the early morning on a dirt road near the town of Irupana, east of the capital La Paz. Images of the wrecked vehicle at the bottom of a cliff circulated on social media. "So far, we have 10 fatalities," police chief Colonel Ricardo Terrazas told the private television station Unitel. Four more people with injuries were taken to hospitals in the capital, Terrazas said, adding that the cause of the accident remained unknown and was under investigation. Most of the victims worked in a mine nearby, according to local press reports. Around 1,400 people die on Bolivian roads every year, mainly due to reckless driving and mechanical failures, interior ministry data shows.