The death toll from a bus accident in Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, has risen to 41, Brazilian authorities confirmed on Sunday.
The bus was traveling from São Paulo to Vitória da Conquista in Bahia when the incident occurred. The victims’ bodies were transported to the Forensic Medicine Institute.
Preliminary investigations suggest a large granite block likely fell from an oncoming truck and struck the bus, causing it to catch fire. A car then crashed into the back of the truck, and its three passengers were hospitalized with severe injuries.
The truck driver fled the scene and is considered a fugitive, with authorities noting his license had been suspended for two years.
This incident is the deadliest highway accident in Brazil since 2007, according to local police. Several charred bodies were recovered from the bus, including at least one child, firefighters reported.
Brazil ranks third globally for road fatalities, behind India and China, according to the 2023 Global Status Report on Road Safety by the World Health Organization.
In late November, a separate accident in Alagoas killed 17 when a bus plunged into a valley on a mountainous road.