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| Minas Gerais road crash | |
|---|---|
 BR-116 in Teófilo Otoni, the highway where the crash occurred | |
  Show map of Minas Gerais Show map of Brazil | |
| Details | |
| Date | 21 December 2024 c. 4:00 a.m. BRT |
| Location | Lajinha, Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais |
| Coordinates | 17°56′26″S 41°31′43″W / 17.94056°S 41.52861°W / -17.94056; -41.52861 |
| Country | Brazil |
| Incident type | Multiple-vehicle collision |
| Cause | Under investigation; likely a fire, after a collision between a bus and a fallen granite block or a B-double due to a tire burst |
| Statistics | |
| Vehicles | 3 |
| Deaths | 41 |
| Injured | 7 |
On 21 December 2024, a multiple-vehicle collision involving a passenger bus, a car and a B-double road train occurred in Lajinha, a district of Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais, Brazil, on the BR-116 highway. Forty-one people died, and seven others were injured. It is the deadliest traffic accident on federal highways in Brazil since 2007, when such numbers began to be monitored.
Background
The BR-116 highway is described as the road with the most deaths in Brazil. With an extensive road network and a busy flow of heavy trucks, especially in granite-producing regions in northern Minas Gerais, serious crashes are frequent, including during the intense end-of-year season. Experts say the highway suffers from structural problems and insufficient inspection. The Rodovia Régis Bittencourt (lit. 'Régis Bittencourt Highway'), and in particular the Taboão da Serra–Curitiba section, is nicknamed the "Highway of Death" (Rodovia da Morte) due to its high number of lethal accidents.
According to data from the National Transport Confederation [pt] (CNT), the state of Minas Gerais has the most crashes and fatal victims on Brazilian highways. The National Department of Transport Infrastructure [pt] (DNIT) said that the speed limit radar near the crash site was removed after the end of the contract with the company responsible for the equipment.
In addition, the country had a history of deadly bus crashes in the decade before: in 2015, a tourist bus fell into a ravine in Joinville, Santa Catarina, resulting in at least 51 casualties; in 2020, 41 people died, and 10 others were injured after a collision between a bus and a truck near Taguaí, São Paulo, on the SP-249 state highway.
Collision
Initial reporting by firefighters claimed that a passenger bus travelling on the BR-116 highway from São Paulo to Bahia had a tire blowout, causing it to lose control and collide with an oncoming B-double truck at around 4 a.m. local time. However, according to the Federal Highway Police, the collision likely occurred when a granite block fell from the truck and hit the bus, which consequently lost control and caught fire. Afterward, a Fiat Argo car collided with the back of the truck. Its occupants were trapped underneath the vehicle, but survived. They also reported the bus had a right-rear tire burst. A survivor on the bus said the vehicle that originally left São Paulo was replaced en route by the one that ended up crashing. The bodies of most of the fatalities were found to be charred.
Police believe the truck driver, whose license was suspended after refusing to take a breathalyzer test two years prior, fled the crash scene without injuries. Receipts showed the truck he drove had left Ceará toward Espírito Santo. Police also said the weight of the granite block exceeded the permitted limit. The moment of the impact and the explosion was captured by a closed-circuit television camera.
Aftermath
Reactions
On his X account, President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva offered his condolences to the victims' families, stating: "I immensely regret and send my prayers to the relatives of the more than 30 fatal victims from the accident in Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais. I pray for the recovery of the survivors of this terrible tragedy."
Governor of Minas Gerais Romeu Zema promised "full mobilization" to assist the victims.
Emtram, the transport company that operated the bus involved, issued a note regretting the crash and offering assistance to the affected people.
Surrender of the driver
Two days later, on 23 December, the suspected truck driver, Arilton Bastos Alves, turned himself in to local police. After being heard, he was not immediately held in custody, because his request for his preventive detention was judicially rejected, and it was no longer possible to detain him in flagrante.
See also
Notes
- Divergent domestic sources suggested that the planned destination of the bus was either Vitória da Conquista or Elísio Medrado.
References
- ^ "O que sabemos sobre as causas do grave acidente com mais de 30 mortos em MG" [What we know about the causes of the serious accident with more than 30 deaths in MG]. CNN Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). 21 December 2024.
- Bartholomew, Jem (21 December 2024). "At least 38 people killed as bus and truck collide in Brazil". The Guardian.
- "Death toll rises to 38 in major road crash in Brazil". Xinhua News Agency. 22 December 2024.
- "'Terrible tragedy': At least 38 killed in bus crash in Brazil". Sky News. 21 December 2024. Archived from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
- Soares, Thamila; Gama, Rafaela (22 December 2024). "Tragédia em Minas: sobe para 41 o número de mortos no acidente em Teófilo Otoni" [Tragedy in Minas Gerais: the number of deaths in the accident in Teófilo Otoni rises to 41]. O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese).
- Barreto Filho, Herculano (22 December 2024). "Sobe para 41 o número de mortos em acidente em MG, diz Polícia Civil" [Tragedy in Minas Gerais: the number of deaths in the accident in Teófilo Otoni rises to 41]. UOL (in Brazilian Portuguese).
- Carvalho, Júlia; Tenente, Luiza (21 December 2024). "Acidente em MG é a maior tragédia em rodovias federais desde 2007, início da série histórica da PRF" [Accident in MG is the biggest tragedy on federal highways since 2007, the beginning of the PRF's historical series]. G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese).
- "Conheça a história da rodovia Régis Bittencourt que liga São Paulo ao Sul do Brasil" [Learn about the history of the Régis Bittencourt highway that connects São Paulo to southern Brazil]. O Taboanense. 1 February 2023. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
- ^ "Por que BR-116, palco do acidente que matou 41 em Minas, é a rodovia mais letal do Brasil — e o que pode ser feito" [Why BR-116, the scene of the accident that killed 41 in Minas Gerais, is the deadliest highway in Brazil — and what can be done about it]. BBC News Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). 21 December 2024.
- "Radar em trecho de acidente na BR-116 foi retirado após término de contrato" [Radar in accident section on BR-116 was removed after contract termination]. CNN Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). 21 December 2024.
- Tomazela, José Maria (21 December 2024). "Acidente em Minas é o terceiro mais grave envolvendo coletivos rodoviários nos últimos 20 anos" [Accident in Minas Gerais is the third most serious involving public transport in the last 20 years]. Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese).
- Magri, Diogo (25 November 2020). "Acidente com ônibus e caminhão deixa 41 mortos no interior de São Paulo" [Accident with bus and truck leaves 41 dead in the interior of São Paulo]. El País. Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ Pessoa, Gabriela Sá (21 December 2024). "38 people die in a crash between a passenger bus and a truck in Brazil". Associated Press.
- ^ "More than 30 dead in Brazil bus and truck collision". Reuters. 21 December 2024.
- ^ "Exclusivo: sobreviventes do acidente na BR-116 dizem que pneu do ônibus estourou" [Exclusive: survivors of the accident on BR-116 say that the bus tire burst]. G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 22 December 2024.
- "Sobrevivente do acidente em MG relata medo com a volta: 'Tô em pânico'" [Survivor of accident in MG reports fear of returning: 'I'm in panic']. UOL (in Brazilian Portuguese). 24 December 2024.
- "Motorista de carreta de acidente em MG fugiu para o Espírito Santo, diz PRF" [Truck driver involved in accident in Minas Gerais fled to Espírito Santo, says PRF]. UOL (in Brazilian Portuguese). 21 December 2024.
- "Acidente em MG: Motorista de carreta estava com CNH suspensa" [Accident in MG: Truck driver had his license suspended]. Pleno.news (in Brazilian Portuguese). 22 December 2024.
- "Carga de carreta em acidente em MG estava acima do peso, diz polícia" [Truck load in accident in Minas Gerais was overweight, says police]. UOL (in Brazilian Portuguese). 22 December 2024.
- Del Piero, Caroline (22 December 2024). "Câmera de segurança registra momento exato de acidente em MG, que deixou 41 mortos; VÍDEO" [Security camera records exact moment of accident in MG, which left 41 dead; VIDEO]. G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese).
- "At least 32 people killed as bus and truck collide in Brazil". Al Jazeera. 21 December 2024.
- Bazani, Adamo; Sena, Yuri; Ferrari, Arthur (22 December 2024). "Sobe o número de mortos em acidente com ônibus na BR-116, em Teófilo Otoni (MG)" [Death toll rises in bus accident on BR-116, in Teofilo Otoni (MG)]. Diário do Transporte (in Brazilian Portuguese).
- Eugênio, Lucas (23 December 2024). "Motorista suspeito de causar acidente com ônibus em MG se entrega à polícia" [Driver suspected of causing bus accident in MG surrenders to the police]. R7 (in Brazilian Portuguese).
- Milagres, Leonardo (23 December 2024). "Caminhoneiro suspeito de causar acidente na BR-116 é liberado" [Truck driver suspected of causing accident on BR-116 is released]. G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese).
| Road incidents in 2024 | |
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