A packed bus collided with a truck early Saturday and burst into flames in BrazilAccording to the fire department, more than 30 people were killed.
After all the victims were removed from a major road near the town of Teofilo Otoni in Minas Gerais, the state fire department reported that of the 45 people on the bus, 38, including the bus driver, were confirmed dead.
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The other passengers remained in critical condition after being transported to a local hospital.
The truck driver fled the scene of the accident, and three occupants of a car that collided with the truck and were trapped underneath survived the accident, the fire department said.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stated on social media that the government was ready to provide any assistance needed and that the Federal Highway Policy was in place.
A map of Brazil. (Encyclopedia Britannica/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“I deeply mourn and pray to the families of the more than 30 victims of the accident in Teofilo Otoni, Minas Gerais. I pray for the recovery of the survivors of this terrible tragedy,” he wrote on X.
The local fire department said a forensic investigation was necessary to determine the cause of the accident because witness statements provided conflicting information.
Firefighters initially reported that the bus had a punctured tire, causing the driver to lose control and crash into an oncoming truck around 4 a.m. local time on the federal highway BR-116, a main road connecting Brazil’s densely populated southeast and the poorer northeast.
However, witnesses also reported that a block of granite that the truck was transporting came loose and fell onto the road, causing the collision with the bus, the fire department said.
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“Only the forensic investigation will confirm the true version,” the fire department said in a statement.
The bus left Sao Paulo and was on his way to the state of Bahia.
