Published: 10:29, December 22, 2024
Death toll rises to 38 in major road crash in Brazil
By Xinhua

Handout picture released by Minas Gerais Fire Department shows a truck on top of a car on the site of a crash in Teofilo Otoni, Minas Gerais state, Brazil on Dec 21, 2024. At least 38 people were killed in a bus crash in southeastern Brazil on Saturday, officials said, in what President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called a "terrible tragedy." (PHOTO / AFP)

RIO DE JANEIRO - The death toll from a road accident in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais has risen to 38, with 13 others injured, local authorities reported Saturday.

The accident, involving a bus, a truck, and a car, occurred in the early morning hours in the municipality of Teofilo Otoni. It was triggered when a large block of granite fell from the truck's cargo onto the road, causing the bus to collide with the truck traveling in the opposite direction. A car following the bus then slammed into it from behind, according to the Federal Highway Police.

The majority of fatalities were caused by a fire that engulfed the bus after the collision, said the police.

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According to Teofilo Otoni officials, 13 people sustained injuries, including the three occupants of the car, all of whom are in critical condition.