At least 32 people were killed in a bus crash in southeastern Brazil on Saturday, officials said, adding that the death toll could still rise.
The accident in Minas Gerais state involving a bus that was travelling from S£o Paulo left "between 32 and 35" people dead, a spokeswoman for the local fire department told AFP by phone.
A car is crushed after a packed bus collided with a truck on the Fernao Dias national highway near Teofilo Otoni, Brazil.
"It was not yet possible to specify the exact number due to the state of the bodies," she added.
According to Aljazeera reports, authorities said the bus blew a tyre, causing the driver to lose control and collide with the truck. A car also collided with the bus, but all three of its passengers survived, according to the fire department.
All victims have been removed from the site, and an investigation is being conducted to determine the cause of the accident, authorities said.
Governor Romeu Zema wrote on X that he ordered “full mobilisation” of the Minas Gerais government to assist survivors and families of 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,” Zema said.
According to Globo, a Brazilian media outlet, the truck driver fled the scene and is being sought by police.
