Investigators are working to determine how the crash happened, amid conflicting eyewitness accounts. (Belo Horizonte Military Fire Department via Reuters)
In short:
Authorities say at least 45 people were on a bus when it collided with a truck and burst into flames on Saturday.
The driver of the truck fled while 38 on the bus, including its driver, were killed.
What's next?
Investigators are trying to figure out what happened, with differing accounts of what caused the crash.
At least 38 people aboard a crowded bus have died after it collided with a truck and burst into flames in Brazil on Saturday.
The local fire department reported that 45 people had been on the bus when it crashed near the town of Teofilo Otoni in Minas Gerais.Â
Among those killed was the bus driver, while all of the survivors were in critical condition.
The truck driver fled the scene, and three occupants of a car that collided with the truck and became trapped underneath survived the accident, the fire department said.
There were also conflicting reports of what caused the crash, with eyewitnesses saying the bus collided with a granite block that fell off the back of the truck.
Authorities say the driver of the truck fled the scene. (Belo Horizonte Military Fire Department via Reuters)
Initially, firefighters reported the bus had a tyre blowout, causing the driver to lose control before colliding with an oncoming truck.
"Only the forensic investigation will confirm the true version," the fire department said in a statement.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the government was ready to provide any assistance needed, and that the Federal Highway Policy was at the site.
"I deeply mourn and extend my prayers to the families of the more than 30 victims of the accident in Teofilo Otoni, Minas Gerais," he wrote on X.
"I pray for the recovery of the survivors of this terrible tragedy."
The bus departed from Sao Paulo and was headed to the state of Bahia.
Reuters
