At least 38 people have been killed in a crash involving a bus and a lorry on a major road in southeastern Brazil, authorities have said.
Another 13 people were taken to hospital following the crash in the country’s eastern state of Minas Gerais, the local fire department said. Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva described the incident as a “terrible tragedy”.
The coach, which had reportedly departed from Sao Paulo and was carrying 45 passengers, burst into flames when it crashed, with footage of the aftermath showing the burnt-out remains of the wrecked bus.
The bus driver was among those killed.
The truck driver fled the scene and three occupants of a car that collided with the truck and became trapped underneath survived the accident, the news agency Reuters reported.
Some witnesses said the crash happened after the bus blew a tyre, causing the driver to lose control and collide with a truck, while others told rescue teams that a granite block hit the bus, which was heading to the state of Bahia.
Mr da Silva said in a statement on Saturday: “I deeply regret and send my prayers to the families of the more than 30 fatalities from the accident in Teofilo Otoni, Minas Gerais. I pray for the recovery of the survivors of this terrible tragedy.”
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Governor Romeu Zema wrote on X that he had ordered “full mobilisation” of the Minas Gerais government to assist the victims.
“We are working to ensure that families of the victims are supported to face this tragedy in the most humane way possible, especially as it comes just before Christmas,” Mr Zema said.
This year alone, more than 10,000 people died in traffic accidents in the South American country, which has a population of more than 216 million, according to the Ministry of Transportation.
