A head-on collision between a bus and a trailer left at least eight people dead and another nine injured on BR-251, in Santa Cruz of Salinas, in Norte of Minas, on Sunday morning. The two vehicles were consumed by flames shortly after the impact, which occurred around 4:30 am at kilometer 234 of the highway. The victims’ bodies were charred stuck to the hardware, according to information from Corpo and Bombeiros.
The bus was traveling with 15 passengers and two drivers, leaving São Bernardo from Campo, in São Paulo, heading to Aracaju, in Sergipe. The trailer, loaded with automotive parts and scrap, was heading from Fortaleza, on Ceará, to Piracicaba, in the interior of São Paulo. The truck driver was located alive by Polícia Rodoviária Federal and rescued by Serviço of Atendimento Móvel of Urgência.
Feridos and rescue still in progress
Corpo of Bombeiros confirmed that nine people were rescued and taken to hospitals in the region. Entre the injured are:
- Motorista from the bus, 41 years old, with suspected leg fracture
- Idoso, 72 years old, with abrasions on the face and pain in the left leg
- Mulher, 61 years old, with bruises, bruise on the hip and pain in the left leg
- Dois men taken by Taiobeiras’s ambulance, no ages given
- Três men, aged 30, 38 and 42, helped by Pedra Azul’s ambulance
- A 24-year-old person rescued by the Medina ambulance
Equipes from the SAMU of Curral of Dentro, Taiobeiras and Pedra Azul performed the service on site. Quando rescuers arrived, five people had already been taken to hospitals. The elderly man and the woman told firefighters that they had to jump from the bus to escape the flames. The information is still considered partial, as teams are investigating the possibility that other people were transported by a second Pedra Azul ambulance.
Dificuldades in identification
The hardware of both vehicles was extremely twisted, making rescue work and identification of the victims difficult. Conforme or Corpo of Bombeiros, five of the fatal victims appear to be adults and one may be a child between 10 and 11 years old. Firefighters are also investigating the possibility that there was a baby in the lap of one of the victims, but this information has not yet been officially confirmed.
The bus was not a tourist bus and was possibly on an intercity route. Ainda was unable to confirm precisely how many people were on board the bus nor the total number of injured, as the extrication work depends on the release of Polícia Civil’s expertise. Quatro vehicles belonging to Corpo and Bombeiros were involved in the incident.
Rodovia remains blocked
BR-251 remains completely closed while the incident is being handled. The congestion reached around 30 kilometers in both directions of the highway. According to Corpo of Bombeiros, the forensic work, the removal of the vehicles and the extrication of the victims must take time due to the complexity of the accident. The bodies of the victims began to be sent to the local funeral home after forensic work.
Polícia Rodoviária Federal works to control traffic and investigate the circumstances of the crash. Motoristas passing through the region receive guidance to seek a detour via Guanambi, on Bahia, during the highway blockage.
