At least 16 killed in bus accident in Alagoas state, Brazil | Traffic news

The survivors, including a critically injured child, were rushed to hospital as the state governor declared three days of mourning.

He was returning from a religious festival in northeastern Brazil went away from the road In twists and turns, at least 16 people, including four children, were killed, officials said.

Around 60 people were on board the bus in rural Alagoas state on Tuesday, when some passengers were evacuated while others were trapped under the debris.

The Alagoas regional government said in a statement that the dead included seven women, five men and four children. The accident remains under investigation and was described as “highly complex”.

Brazilian media reported that the bus was returning from a celebration of Our Lady of Candelaria, a religious festival in the state of Sierra, which attracts thousands of devotees every February 2.

“The bus went off the road at a curve, overturned and some people were thrown out,” said Colonel Andre Madero, director of the Alagoas Aviation Department, which participated in the rescue operation.

“Some were trapped under the vehicle. It was a very bad accident, very dishonest,” he told a news conference.

Images posted on the X social media platform of the reported crash site show the badly crushed bus lying on its side as injured passengers sit nearby waiting for help.

The survivors of the accident, including the critically injured child, were taken to hospital, where they are under medical supervision.

“I express my solidarity with the family and friends at this time of great sadness,” Governor Paulo Dantas wrote on social media, adding that the state will observe three days of mourning.

Fatal road accidents are common in Brazil.

In October, 17 people were killed when a driver lost control of a bus in the northeastern state of Pernambuco.

More than 10,000 people died in traffic accidents in Brazil in 2024, according to the Ministry of Transport In December 2024, at least 32 people were killed when a passenger bus and a truck collided on a highway in the southeastern Brazilian state. Minas Gerais.

Also in 2024, a bus carrying a football team overturned on the road, killing three people.