a new avalanche blocked the Panamericana Sur at kilometer 337, in Icawhich is already generating a huge line of stranded trucks, buses and vehicles that cannot cross either to the north or to the south.
Traffic is completely paralyzed on this stretch of the highway, according to reports. America News this monday February 23. The National Highway Police is in the area, although the magnitude of the congestion has exceeded the control capacity of the agents deployed.
The situation in the Panamericana Sur It became chaotic. The journalistic teams described how the line of stopped vehicles exceeds twenty kilometers, with the majority of those affected corresponding to heavy-duty trucks and interprovincial buses.
The presence police attempts to contain the disorder, although the number of stranded vehicles complicates any attempt to restore the flow.
The reporters located in the kilometer 325 of the road indicated that, after two hours of advancing, traffic was still completely stopped. Aerial images provided by drones reveal the magnitude of the jam: a long column of heavy vehicles with no possibility of movement. It was emphasized that “there is no pass between kilometer 335 and 337, where the huaico fell two hours ago” today, Monday.
Among the problems detected is the attitude of some drivers who, seeking to move forward, invade the opposite lane. This maneuver, especially dangerous in a road two-way traffic, has ended up aggravating the collapse, since it causes confrontations with those traveling in the opposite direction. In addition, smaller vehicles have tried to use the auxiliary lane, contributing to the saturation of the blocked section of the national highway.
This phenomenon is not isolated. Last week, a large-scale landslide also interrupted traffic in several parts of the Panamericana Surin the region Icaleaving hundreds of vehicles and passengers trapped.
The landslide surprised drivers and passengers between the district of Ocucaje and the sector Holy Crosswhere mud and stones covered the road and dragged cargo units and passenger buses.
The force of the huaico was felt with special severity at kilometer 337, the same point affected in the new emergency. Mud and stones partially blocked the route, trapping dozens of drivers.
A truck was even carried away by the current and ended up overturned, while another cargo vehicle became completely stuck in the mud, increasing the difficulties for carriers and travelers.
The damaged section covered about twenty kilometers in both directions. The Highway Police implemented controls to channel traffic in a restricted manner, allowing vehicles to pass at intervals, although persistent rains prevented a full reopening.
The impact of the huaicos on the Panamericana Sur has generated scenes of despair among trapped passengers and drivers. Many of them spend hours inside their vehicles, without access to water or food, and facing adverse weather conditions.
Noemi Alvarezone of the passengers affected by the blockade of the previous huaico, said: “We have been stranded since two in the morning. There are children and elderly people, we are without water or food. Help us“Another passenger, Pilar Ruizreported that she had been detained on an interprovincial bus of the company Civawhich came out of Lime bound for Arequipa.
The emergency also reached kilometer 368, in the sector Holy Crossprovince of Palpa. According to the regional media The Owla company bus Oltursa It capsized after being surprised by the landslide and water. Firefighters and rescuers treated the passengers, who were taken to the area hospital.
The crisis in Panamericana Sur It doesn’t just affect the local population. It was reported that a group of swiss tourists was stranded in the district of Hillsregion Arequipaafter the blockade at kilometer 360, specifically on the Lomas bridge.
The tour operator Jose Moscoso He warned that the available machinery was insufficient to clear the passage and questioned the infrastructure of the bridge, which usually collapses with the rains each year.
The Highway Police Stay at critical points with the aim of preventing more vehicles from being trapped. Passengers and transporters have expressed concern about the lack of safe alternative routes, which forces them to remain inside their vehicles until conditions allow circulation to resume.
The images captured in different sections show the seriousness of the situation: large tonnage units displaced by the force of the huaicobuses and trucks stopped for dozens of kilometers.
