Around 11 p.m. on Friday (25), a bus running the route from Fortaleza, in Ceará state, to Palmas, in Tocantins, overturned on the BR-122 highway about 15 kilometers from Iraquara, a town in the Chapada Diamantina highlands of inland Bahia. At least seven people died and 13 were injured, according to g1, Globo's news site. The two drivers, employees of the Real Maia bus company, were not hurt. Route and company details were confirmed by TV Bahia, Globo's affiliate in the state.

The injured received first aid at the scene and were taken to the Hospital Regional de Seabra, the referral hospital for the region. Military Police and Fire Department crews were called out and were still working at the site on Saturday morning (26).

Among the dead is Military Police soldier Luca José Jesus Santana, assigned to the 28th CIPM battalion in Ibotirama. He had been given a lift on the bus and was in uniform at the time of the crash.

The Military Police said more victims may be found once the bus is righted, so the death toll could still rise. The cause of the accident has not been determined, and the circumstances remain under investigation.

What to know

• Injured: being treated at the Hospital Regional de Seabra, the regional referral hospital in the Chapada Diamantina.
• Rescue: Military Police and Fire Department crews remained at the stretch of the BR-122, about 15 km from Iraquara, on Saturday (26).
• Toll: the Military Police says more victims may be found after the bus is lifted upright.
• Investigation: the cause has not been determined.