At least 32 people died in a collision between a bus and a truck in Brazil. transport news
Fire officials say the passenger bus collided with a truck near the town of Lajinha in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.
At least 32 people have been killed when a passenger bus and a truck collided on a highway in southeastern Brazil.
The fire department in Minas Gerais state, which responded to the crash near the town of Lajinha early Saturday, said “32 to 35 people” were killed.
Earlier it was said that 13 people were taken to hospitals near the town of Teofilo Otoni.
It is being told that the bus had left from Sao Paulo and there were 45 passengers on board.
Officials said the tire of the bus burst, causing the driver to lose control and collide with the truck. According to the fire department, a car also collided with the bus, but all three passengers on board survived.
Officials said all victims have been removed from the scene and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.
Governor Romeu Zema wrote on Twitter that he ordered the Minas Gerais government to “fully mobilize” to assist survivors and families of victims.
“We are working to ensure that the families of the victims are supported to cope with this tragedy in the most humane way possible, especially as it comes just before Christmas,” Zema said.
According to Brazilian media outlet Globo, the truck driver fled the scene and police are searching for him.
According to the Federal Highway Police, the highway on which the accident occurred was the deadliest in the country in 2023, with 559 deaths recorded, Globo reported.
According to the Ministry of Transport, more than 10,000 people will die in traffic accidents in Brazil in 2024.
In September, a bus carrying the Coritiba Crocodiles football team veered off the road and killed three people.
The team from the southern city of Curitiba was on its way to a game in Rio de Janeiro, which was canceled after the accident.
