A family of 10 has died and 43 passengers were injured after the bus they were travelling in crashed on a highway in the city of Itapetininga in southeastern Brazil.
The São Paulo Civil Police reported that the bus was on the Francisco da Silva Pontes highway early Friday morning when the driver, whose name was not revealed, lost control of the steering wheel, which became blocked.
The driver was unable to slow the bus before it crashed into a pillar beneath a highway overpass.
He was expected to be questioned on Friday but told investigators the bus had a mechanical problem.
Firefighters had to rescue 15 passengers who were trapped in the wrecked bus.
Ten members of a family were killed when the bus they were travelling in crashed on a highway in Itapetininga, a city in the southeastern Brazilian state of São Paulo, on Friday.
The bus driver, who was injured, told authorities that the steering wheel locked on him and he was unable to regain control of the bus before it crashed into a concrete pillar beneath a highway overpass in the southeastern Brazilian city of Itapetininga on Friday. The accident left 10 people dead and 43 injured.
The company that owns the bus, Onix Turismo, told Brazilian media outlet G1 that the passengers knew each other and had rented it for their annual trip to Aparecida de Goiânia, a city in the central state of Goiás.
The victims were identified as Moacir Moraes, 73; his two sons, Gilmar Moraes, 48, and Gilberto Moraes, 42; Gilberto’s wife, Vanessa Souza, 37, and their six-year-old son, Tiago Moraes; Valdira Morais, 48; José Bento and his wife, Edna Carvalho; Yolanda de Oliveira; and Jessiele Rodrigues.
Moacir Moraes had been organizing the annual Catholic Church trip for four decades, his sister Iracema Santos told Brazilian news outlet Istoe Dinheiro.
“He was a leader here in the neighborhood,” he said.
‘Nobody knows for sure how the accident happened. I have travelled many times with my brother’s group, but as the number of people wanting to go has increased, I have started to organise another group. We made the trip to Aparecida in June and everything went well.’
Santos’ niece, Camila de Moraes, was among the injured along with her parents.
“It all happened so fast, the noise of the crash, so much commotion. I can’t even talk about it,” de Moraes said. “My parents are in hospital.”
Edna Proença told TV TEM that the passenger bus came to a complete stop after hitting a pillar in the middle of the road. Her three children and her granddaughter were injured.
Edna Proença was travelling by bus with her family when she felt the vehicle crash into the concrete structure in the middle of the road. Her three children and granddaughter needed medical assistance.
“It all happened so fast. The bus hit the pillar and stopped,” Proença told G1 affiliate TV TEM. “I can’t even understand what happened. I felt the bus shaking and my granddaughters were screaming.”
The victims are all residents of the city of Ribeirão Branco, in western São Paulo.
“Our hearts go out to the families of the pilgrims from the Palmeirinha neighbourhood and to all those involved in this difficult time,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.
“We have cancelled all official activities to support the families and declared three days of official mourning in solidarity with the community of Ribeirão Branco. May they find comfort and support to overcome this immeasurable pain.”