A crash An accident between a passenger bus and a truck killed 38 people early Saturday on a highway in Minas Gerais, a southeastern state Brazilofficials said.
According to the Minas Gerais Fire Department, which was at the scene, 13 other people were taken to hospitals near the town of Teofilo Otoni. The bus had reportedly left Sao Paulo and carried 45 passengers.
Authorities said Saturday afternoon that all victims had been removed from the scene and an investigation would determine the cause of the accident. Witnesses told emergency responders that the bus’s tire burst, causing the driver to lose control and crash into a truck. Others said a granite block hit the bus, the fire department added.
Get breaking national news
For news affecting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to you as soon as they happen.
A car with three occupants also collided with the bus, but all three survived.
Governor Romeu Zema wrote on X that he had ordered the “full mobilization” of the Minas Gerais government to help the victims.
“We are working to ensure that the families of the victims are supported to deal with this tragedy in the most humane way possible, especially as it comes just before Christmas,” Zema said.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said in a statement on Saturday that federal officials were at the disposal of the state of Minas Gerais. “I deeply regret and send my prayers to the families of the more than 30 people who died in the accident in Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais. I pray for the recovery of the survivors of this terrible tragedy,” Lula said.
According to the Ministry of Transport, more than 10,000 people died in traffic accidents in Brazil in 2024.
In September, a bus with a football team overturned on a road and killed three people. The Coritiba Crocodiles, a team from the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba, were on their way to a game in Rio de Janeiro where they were scheduled to take part in the country’s American football championship. The game was canceled after the fatal accident.
&Copy 2024 The Canadian Press
