A passenger bus and a truck collided early Saturday on a highway in Minas Gerais, a state in southeastern Brazil, killing 38 people, according to officials.
The Minas Gerais fire department, which responded to the scene, said 13 people were taken to hospitals near Teofilo Otoni. According to reports, the bus left Sao Paulo with 45 passengers on board.
Authorities announced Saturday afternoon that all victims had been removed from the scene, and an investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of the accident.
Witnesses told rescuers that the bus’s tire blew, causing the driver to lose control and collide with a truck. Others claimed that a granite block struck the bus, according to the fire department.
A car carrying three passengers also collided with the bus, but all three survived.
On X, Governor Romeu Zema ordered the “full mobilization” of the Minas Gerais government to assist the victims.
“We are working to ensure that families of the victims are supported to face this tragedy in the most humane way possible, especially as it comes just before Christmas,” according to Zema.
According to the Brazilian Ministry of Transportation, more than 10,000 people will die in traffic accidents in 2024.
In September, a bus carrying a football team overturned on a road, killing three people.
The Coritiba Crocodiles, a football team from Curitiba in southern Brazil, were on their way to Rio de Janeiro to compete in the country’s American football championship game. The game was canceled after the fatal accident.