A packed bus collided with a truck and caught fire in Brazil early Saturday morning, killing more than 30 people, the fire department said.
After removing all the victims from a major highway near the town of Teofilo Otoni in Minas Gerais, the state fire department reported that of the 45 people on board the bus, 38 were confirmed dead, including the bus driver.
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Even after taking other passengers to the local hospital, their condition remains critical.
The fire department said the truck driver fled the scene, and three people in the car that was stuck after being hit by the truck survived.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on social media that the government is ready to provide whatever assistance is needed, and that the federal highway policy is on site.
A map of Brazil. (Encyclopædia Britannica/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“I offer my deepest condolences and prayers to the families of the more than 30 victims of the crash in Teofilo Otoni, Minas Gerais. I pray for the recovery of the survivors of this terrible tragedy,” he posted on Twitter.
The local fire department said that a forensic investigation would be required to determine the cause of the accident, as varying details had been gathered from witness testimony.
Initially, firefighters reported that a tire on the bus had burst, causing the driver to lose control before colliding with an oncoming truck at around 4 a.m. local time on the BR-116 federal highway, which runs through Brazil’s densely populated area. It is a major road connecting the south-east with the poor north-east. ,
However, eyewitnesses also said that the granite block the truck was carrying came loose and fell on the road and collided with the bus, the fire department said.
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“Only a forensic investigation will confirm the true version,” the fire department said in a statement.
The bus left Sao Paulo and was heading towards the state of Bahia.
