Darkness had already proven deadly
En las horas nocturnas del miércoles 24 de septiembre, la carretera Interoceánica en el sur del Perú se convirtió en escenario de una de las tragedias viales más dolorosas de la región: catorce personas murieron y cuatro resultaron heridas cuando tres vehículos colisionaron en un tramo oscuro y mal iluminado cerca de Moquegua. La mayoría de las víctimas eran músicos que viajaban hacia un festival religioso en honor a la Virgen de las Mercedes, en Candarave, portando con ellos la promesa de celebración y devoción. Como tantas veces en la historia de las carreteras andinas, la oscuridad, la velocidad y la fragilidad humana se encontraron en un instante que no admite retroceso.
- Un camión en movimiento impactó una minivan llena de músicos en un tramo sin iluminación, desencadenando una colisión en cadena que también involucró a un semirremolque estacionado sobre la vía.
- Los ocupantes de la minivan quedaron atrapados entre los hierros retorcidos; el número de muertos ascendió de doce a catorce conforme los rescatistas trabajaban durante toda la noche.
- Cuatro sobrevivientes con traumatismos craneales y fracturas costales fueron estabilizados en un puesto de salud local y luego trasladados al hospital regional de Puno para recibir atención intensiva.
- Las autoridades cerraron la carretera hasta el amanecer y desplegaron fiscales, médicos forenses y la unidad especializada en accidentes de tránsito para reconstruir las causas del siniestro.
- La investigación apenas comienza: la oscuridad del tramo, el posible error humano y las condiciones de la vía son los ejes centrales de una pesquisa que busca explicar cómo un viaje festivo se convirtió en catástrofe.
En la noche del miércoles 24 de septiembre, poco después de las siete de la tarde, tres vehículos colisionaron en el kilómetro 142 de la carretera Interoceánica, en el tramo que une Moquegua con Puno. El resultado fue devastador: catorce muertos y cuatro heridos graves. La mayoría de las víctimas eran músicos que viajaban juntos hacia Candarave, en la provincia de Tacna, donde debían actuar en un festival en honor a la Virgen de las Mercedes.
Según los reportes policiales, un tractocamión conducido por Percy Itusaca Mamani, de 29 años, circulaba desde Puno hacia Moquegua cuando embistió una minivan de la empresa Termales. Ambos vehículos chocaron además contra un semirremolque que estaba estacionado en el carril contrario, obstruyendo parcialmente la vía. El tramo carece de iluminación adecuada, y las autoridades señalaron que la oscuridad fue un factor determinante en la tragedia.
La minivan recibió el impacto más brutal. Sus ocupantes quedaron atrapados en el interior, y los rescatistas trabajaron durante toda la noche para extraer los cuerpos. Los cuatro sobrevivientes —con edades entre 23 y 52 años— fueron atendidos primero en el puesto de salud de Titire y luego trasladados al hospital regional de Puno con diagnósticos de traumatismo craneal y fracturas costales.
Bomberos de varias estaciones de Moquegua acudieron al lugar y trabajaron hasta el amanecer. La carretera fue cerrada al tráfico hasta las primeras horas del jueves. Con la luz del día llegaron el fiscal de turno, dos médicos forenses y oficiales de la unidad de investigación de accidentes de tránsito, quienes iniciaron la documentación del escenario y la recolección de evidencias. El accidente ocurrió cerca de un cruce hacia Desaguadero, en las inmediaciones del poblado de Chilligua, un punto donde la vía se estrecha y la visibilidad nocturna es especialmente reducida. Las causas exactas del siniestro permanecen bajo investigación.
On the night of Wednesday, September 24th, just after seven in the evening, three vehicles collided on the Interoceánica highway at kilometer 142, in the stretch that connects Moquegua and Puno. The impact was catastrophic. Fourteen people died, and four others were injured badly enough to require hospitalization. Most of the dead were musicians—members of musical groups who had been traveling together toward the town of Candarave in Tacna province, where they were scheduled to perform at a festival honoring the Virgin of Mercedes.
According to police reports, a red International tractor-trailer unit, driven by a 29-year-old named Percy Itusaca Mamani, was moving south from Puno toward Moquegua when it struck a white minivan. The minivan belonged to Termales, a transport company based in Juliaca. At nearly the same moment, or as a result of the initial collision, both vehicles struck a third truck that had been parked on the opposite side of the road, its semi-trailer blocking part of the northbound lane. The section of highway where this happened is poorly lit—a stretch of road where darkness comes early and visibility drops sharply once the sun sets. That darkness, authorities would later suggest, played a role in what unfolded.
The minivan absorbed the worst of the impact. Its occupants—the musicians and their companions—were trapped inside the twisted metal. Police initially reported twelve dead at the scene. As rescue workers pulled bodies from the wreckage through the night and into Thursday morning, the count climbed to fourteen. The four survivors were taken first to a health post in Titire, where they were stabilized and diagnosed with head trauma, rib fractures, and other serious injuries. Their names were Bush Aderly Huahasoncco Gutiérrez, 23; Rony Denilson Jove Condori, 26; Juan Hilario Capa Gómez, 28; and Edward René Jihuallanca Bustinza, 52. All four were later transferred to the regional hospital in Puno for more intensive care.
Firefighters from multiple stations in Moquegua arrived at the scene and worked through the night to extract bodies and clear the wreckage. Police closed the highway to all traffic until dawn, a necessary precaution in an area where the darkness had already proven deadly. By six in the morning on Thursday, the official machinery of investigation had arrived: the on-duty prosecutor for Moquegua, Erick Chambilla Gonzáles; two medical examiners, Jorge Bautista Valer and Shirley Pérez Vásquez; and officers from the Traffic Accident Prevention and Investigation Unit, led by a sergeant named Juan Marón Alberto. They began the grim work of documenting the scene, collecting bodies, and gathering evidence that might explain how a routine journey to a religious celebration had ended in one of the region's deadliest highway disasters.
The crash occurred near a crossroads toward Desaguadero, close to the settlement of Chilligua. It was a place where the road narrows and visibility is poor—a combination that, on a dark night, can turn a moment of inattention or mechanical failure into tragedy. The investigation into what caused the collision, and whether the darkness, road conditions, or driver error played the decisive role, was just beginning.
Citas Notables
The section of highway where this happened is poorly lit—a stretch of road where darkness comes early and visibility drops sharply once the sun sets.— Police investigation findings
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why were so many musicians traveling together on that particular road at that particular time?
They were heading to a religious festival—the feast of the Virgin of Mercedes in Candarave. These kinds of celebrations draw performers from across the region. Multiple musical groups had likely coordinated their travel, or were hired by the same promoter, which is why they were sharing transport.
The report mentions the minivan belonged to a transport company. Was this a professional charter, or something more informal?
It was a commercial transport operation—Termales, based in Juliaca. So yes, this was organized travel, not a casual carpool. That makes the loss even more concentrated. All those people in one vehicle, all heading to the same event.
The darkness is mentioned repeatedly. Is that unusual for that highway, or was it just bad luck?
That section of the Interoceánica is known to have poor lighting. It's not a surprise to people who drive it regularly. But on a night when visibility is already low, and when a truck is parked partially in the roadway—which itself is unusual—the conditions become lethal very quickly.
Why was the third truck parked there in the first place?
The reports don't explain that. It was stopped on the opposite side of the road, in its lane of travel. Whether it had broken down, was waiting for something, or was parked for another reason isn't clear from what we know so far.
The death toll climbed from twelve to fourteen as the night went on. What does that tell us?
It tells us the rescue operation was chaotic and difficult. Bodies were trapped in the wreckage. It took time to extract them all, and in the darkness, with multiple vehicles involved, it's easy to lose count initially. By morning, when the official count was finalized, the true scale of the disaster became clear.