21 killed, 30 injured in highway pileup in SE Brazil

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At least 21 people were killed and 30 others injured in a multiple-vehicle road accident in southeastern Brazil on Thursday, local media have reported.

Two ambulances, a truck and a bus were involved in the tragic accident, which occurred at around 6:00 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) in the city of Guarapari.

EFE Photo‍

The truck, which was carrying rocks, entered the opposite lane of one section of the BR-101 highway, which stretches across a distance of 4,828 km running the length of the country, and collided with a bus travelling between Brazil's largest city, Sao Paulo, and the regional capital of Espirito Santo, Vitoria.

Two ambulances behind the coach were unable to speed down. Photos of the accident show one ambulance overturned on the side of the highway, suggesting it has swerved off the road.

EFE Photo

The bus split into two on impact and caught fire. Thirty-two people were on board.

Nineteen of the dead were on the coach, and most victims burned to death, according to the Brazil's Federal Highway Police (PRF).

EFE Photo

The truck driver and another person on the ambulance were also killed at the scene.

The injured were sent to a nearby hospital and the investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.

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