At least 19 people were killed in Peru when a small bus taking them to a religious festival plunged 600 feet off a mountain road, police said Saturday.

They said 12 other people were injured in the accident Friday night in the southeastern Apurimac region on a treacherous section of highway known as "the seven turns."

"So far, the 19 victims have been recovered and the injured are being taken to the regional hospital," police captain Fernando Bolanos told reporters.

The bus was carrying passengers from Puquio to the town of Chalhuanca to attend a religious festival near Cusco known as the Lord of Huanca, which each year draws thousands of pilgrims from around the country.

Bolanos said the cause of the accident was under investigation, but preliminary indications were that the driver was speeding.

Fatal road accidents are common in Peru, in part because of lax traffic enforcement but also because of the country's challenging mountain terrain, with its many sharp curves and steep precipices.

More than 2,500 people were killed in road accidents in 2013, according to official statistics.