Bus crash in southeastern Brazil kills at least 11, including 2 children

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A passenger bus flipped on its side in southeastern Brazil in the early hours of Tuesday, killing 11 people, including two children, local authorities said.

Around 50 passengers were on the bus traveling from the state of Goias to Ribeirao Preto in Sao Paulo when the driver lost control of the vehicle in the municipality of Araguari, military firefighters said in a statement. Some of the dead were trapped in the bus while others were ejected from the bus as it rolled over, the firefighters added.

Ten people, including the children aged between 2 and 4, died at the scene of the accident. One person died because of injuries at a local hospital, police said.

Real Expresso, which operates buses in Brazil’s main cities, expressed “deep regret” in a statement, saying that 16 injured passengers were receiving medical care.

“We are working closely with the authorities investigating the causes of the accident,” it said.

In 2024, more than 10,000 people died in traffic accidents in Brazil, according to the Ministry of Transportation.

In February, a bus carrying university students and a truck collided on a highway in Sao Paulo state, killing 12 passengers, while in September a bus carrying the Coritiba Crocodiles football team flipped on a road, killing three people.

A crash between a passenger bus and a truck also killed 38 people on a highway in the state of Minas Gerais in December.

By ELÉONORE HUGHES
Associated Press