Thirty-eight people were killed in a collision between a passenger bus and a truck early Saturday on a highway in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, authorities said.
The Minas Gerais State Fire Department, which responded to the scene, said 13 other people were taken to a hospital near the city of Teofilo Otoni. The bus reportedly left Sao Paulo and was carrying 45 passengers.
Authorities announced Saturday afternoon that all victims had been removed from the scene and that an investigation would determine the cause of the accident. Witnesses told rescuers the bus burst a tire, the driver lost control and collided with a truck. There were also reports that a granite block had hit the bus, the fire department added.
A car carrying three passengers also collided with the bus, but all three survived.
Governor Romeu Zema wrote to X that he had ordered the state government of Minas Gerais to “mobilize in full” to assist the 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 just before Christmas,” Zema said.
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 a soccer team overturned on the road, killing three people. The Coritiba Crocodiles, a team from the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba, were heading to Rio de Janeiro to play in the country’s American football championship. The match was canceled due to a fatal accident.
