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At least 41 dead in a three-vehicle accident in Brazil
The death toll from a spectacular three-vehicle accident in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais on Saturday has risen to 41, regional police reported in the latest death toll report on Sunday.
A total of 11 bodies have been identified, although security forces declined to say how long it will take to do so with the rest, as the bus and the other two vehicles involved are “completely or partially charred” by the fire that broke out after the accident.
Firefighters had initially reported 22 dead, a figure that rose as work progressed to rescue the bodies.
The Minas Gerais Civil Police confirmed in a press conference that the main line of investigation is that the accident was caused by a granite block that broke off from a truck and hit the bus, which at that time was traveling in the opposite direction with 45 passengers on board.
Another vehicle behind the truck then collided with the car, but its three passengers survived with “serious injuries,” the fire department said on Saturday.
Police are now looking for the truck driver, who is suspected of being an offender and whose driving license was suspended at the time of the accident because he refused to undergo a breathalyzer test in 2022.
In addition, the vehicle was carrying “excessive weight,” so the driver could face criminal liability, according to security forces.
The accident, which occurred on a curved section of the federal highway BR 116 as it passes through the municipality of Teófilo Otoni, is one of the deadliest ever recorded in Brazil.
The Minas Gerais government said in a statement that it remains mobilized to provide the “necessary responses” to the tragedy.
