At least thirty people have been killed in an accident between a passenger bus and a truck on a Brazilian highway.
Officials in the South American country said the incident took place on Saturday on the Minas Gerais section in the southeast of the country.
The Minas Gerais Fire Department, which arrived at the scene, said 13 others were taken to hospitals near the town of Teofilo Otoni.
The bus had reportedly left Sao Paulo and was carrying 45 passengers when it crashed.
Authorities said Saturday afternoon that all victims had been removed from the site and that an investigation would determine the cause of the accident.
Witnesses told rescue teams that the bus had blown a tire, causing the driver to lose control and crash into a truck.
Images shared on social media and believed to have been captured at the scene show the wreckage on fire.
The Minas Gerais Fire Department, which responded to the scene, said 13 others were taken to hospitals near the town of Teofilo Otoni.
Released photo released by the Minas Gerais Fire Department shows firefighters and other rescue teams working at the scene of the accident
Images shared on social media and believed to have been captured at the scene show the wreckage on fire
Others claimed that a granite block had hit the bus and caused the incident, the fire brigade added.
A car carrying three passengers also collided with the bus, but all three people survived the collision.
Gov. Romeu Zema wrote on X that he ordered “full mobilization” of the government of Minas Gerais to help the victims.
Zema said: ‘We are working to ensure that families of the victims are supported to cope with this tragedy in the most humane way, especially as it comes just before Christmas.’
More than 10,000 people died in traffic accidents in Brazil in 2024, according to the Ministry of Transport.
In September, a bus carrying a football team crashed onto the road and killed three people.
The Coritiba Crocodiles, a team from the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba, were on their way to a match in Rio de Janeiro, where they would play in the country’s American soccer championship. The match was canceled after the fatal accident.