More than 30 people were killed in Brazil when a crowded bus collided with a truck and burst into flames early Saturday morning, the fire department said.
After removing all the victims from the main road near the town of Teofilo Otoni in Minas Gerais state, the state fire department said 38 of the 45 people on board the bus were confirmed dead, including the bus driver. Announced.
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The other passengers remained in critical condition after being taken to a local hospital.
According to the fire department, the truck driver fled the scene, and the three occupants of the car that was crushed under the truck survived.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on social media that the government is ready to provide all necessary support and that the Federal Highway Policy is on the ground.
Map of Brazil. (Encyclopedia Britannica/Universal Images Group, via Getty Images)
“I would like to express my deepest condolences and prayers 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 to X. Posted.
The local fire department said a forensic investigation would be needed to determine the cause of the accident, as various statements were collected from eyewitness accounts.
Firefighters initially said the bus had a flat tire and the driver lost control at around 4 a.m. local time, crashing on the BR-116 federal highway, a major route connecting Brazil's densely populated southeast to its impoverished northeast. The vehicle was reported to have collided with an oncoming truck on the road. .
However, the fire department said there were eyewitness reports that a granite block the truck was carrying came loose and fell onto the road, colliding with a bus.
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“Only forensic investigation will confirm the true version,” the fire department said in a statement.
The bus left São Paulo and headed to the state of Bahia.
