A bus veered off course and plunged 100 meters down a gorge in Peru's southeastern Andean region of Ayacucho Wednesday, killing at least 11 passengers and injuring more than 20, police said.

The bus, which had more than 50 people on board, tumbled off the road in the early hours of the morning on the Interoceanic Highway, which connects Peru with Brazil.

"We have so far recorded 11 deaths after a bus fell into a 100 meter (325 feet) gorge," said Jose Ramirez, an police official in Puquio, the closest town to where the accident took place.

The bus was traveling from the capital Lima to Querobamba, Sucre province, which is located over 3,500 meters (11,500 feet) above sea level.

Over 20 injured passengers were taken to hospital in Puquio and Huanta, another nearby town.

There were two other deadly bus crashes in Peru in January and February, which killed 97 people in total