Minas Gerais fire department said 13 more people were taken to hospitals near the city of Teofilo Otoni. The bus reportedly took off from Sao Paulo’ and carried 45 passengers.
Authorities said on Saturday afternoon that all the victims had been removed from the area and that the investigation would determine the cause of the accident. Eyewitnesses told rescuers that the bus had a flat tire, causing the driver to lose control and crash into a truck. Firefighters said the bus was hit by a granite block.
The car with three passengers collided with the bus, but three people survived.
Governor Romeu Zema wrote that the X’te Minas Gerais government had ordered the “tam mobilization” to help the victims.
"We are working to support the families of the victims to face this tragedy in the most humane way possible, especially just before Christmas “," Zema said.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Saturday that federal authorities are at the disposal of the state of Minas Gerais. Lula, “Deeply saddened and praying to the families of more than 30’ people who lost their lives in the accident at Minas Gerais Teófilo Otoni’. I pray for the recovery of those who survived this terrible tragedy, ” said.
According to the Ministry of Transport’, more than 10,000 people died in traffic accidents in ’, Brazil in 2024.
In September, a bus carrying a football team rolled over on the road, killing three people. Coritiba Crocodiles, a team from the southern city of Curitiba, was heading to a match in Rio de Janeiro’, where they will play in the country's American football championship. The match was cancelled after the fatal accident.
