A collision between a tour bus and a truck left two people dead and at least 26 injured in the early hours of Monday (24) on the BR-040 federal highway, in Capim Branco, in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte, in southeastern Brazil. According to G1, the crash was recorded at around 4:50 a.m. near kilometer 491 of the highway, which was fully closed to traffic during the morning.
According to initial information from the Fire Department, the truck, which was traveling toward Brasilia, crossed into the opposite lane and hit the bus. Both vehicles caught fire on impact and were destroyed, and the flames also reached vegetation on the roadside. Videos circulating on social media show the vehicles ablaze and, later, their burned-out shells. According to CNN Brasil, the bus overturned and blocked both lanes of the highway.
The bus, operated by Viação Pássaro Verde, had left Minas Novas, in the Jequitinhonha Valley region of Minas Gerais state, at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday (23), bound for the state capital, Belo Horizonte. There were 27 passengers on board, in addition to the driver.
Victims and injured
The fatalities are a man who was in the truck and a female passenger on the bus. Their names and ages were not released. In total, 25 injured people were taken to the Sete Lagoas Municipal Hospital, and one person was treated at an urgent care unit (UPA) in the city, G1 reported. Three patients were in serious condition: a 32-year-old woman, a ten-month-old baby and a man who was carrying no identification. By early Monday afternoon, 14 of the injured had been discharged. Initial reports from CNN Brasil had put the number of injured at 23, a figure revised upward to at least 26 during the morning.
Traffic on the BR-040 was released at around 11:30 a.m. Teams from Samu, Brazil's emergency medical service, and an ambulance from Via Cristais, the concessionaire that manages the stretch, took part in the rescue, and the Federal Highway Police were at the scene to register the occurrence.
In a statement, Viação Pássaro Verde said it is following "the investigation of the facts with the responsible authorities" and is "providing all necessary support to the victims and their families". The cause of the crash will be investigated.