As many as 17 people were killed in Northern Brazil after a passenger bus collided with a sand embankment when the driver of the bus lost control, local authorities said Saturday.
The crash happened in Saloa, a city in the northern Brazilian state of Pernambuco, according to the federal highway police. The bus departed from the neighbouring state of Bahia. The state governor, Jeronimo Teixeira, in a post on X, wrote that his administration was supporting rescue efforts and documenting victims.
"I am following the situation with my team and deeply mourn the loss of lives, the injuries and the suffering of all the families,” he said. Police said the bus was carrying about 30 passengers and that the injured were taken to the hospital. It is not clear how many were injured.
The driver lost control, and the bus went into the opposite lane and struck the rocks on the side of the highway, police said. The driver, though, tried to course-correct his path before the bus crashed into a sand embankment, they said.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, police said, with the driver testing negative for substance abuse. According to the official stats, the South American country has lost more than 10,000 people in traffic accidents in Brazil in 2024. Before this, 11 people, including two children, lost their lives after a passenger bus flipped on its side in South Brazil.
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