At least 38 people were killed in a bus crash in southeastern Brazil on Saturday, officials said, in what President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called a "terrible tragedy."
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00:00A packed bus collided with a truck and burst into flames on a major highway early Saturday
00:07in Brazil, killing over 30 people in one of the country's worst highway accidents in
00:12recent years.
00:14According to the fire department, 38 of the 45 people aboard the bus, including the driver,
00:20were confirmed dead in the crash, which occurred near Teofilo Otoni in Minas Gerais state.
00:27The remaining passengers were critically injured and transported to a local hospital.
00:32Officials reported that the truck driver fled the scene, while three occupants of a car
00:37that collided with the truck and became trapped underneath survived.
00:41Initial investigations suggest a block of granite may have fallen from a truck traveling
00:46in the opposite direction, striking the bus.
00:49Earlier reports indicated the bus may have blown a tire around 4 a.m., causing the driver
00:54to lose control and collide with the truck.
00:58A third vehicle also struck the bus from behind, but its occupants survived.
01:03The bus, en route from Sao Paulo to Vitória da Conquista in Bahia state, caught fire after
01:09the crash.
01:10A forensic investigation is underway to determine the exact cause, as witness accounts differ.
01:16The Federal Highway Police, PRF, stated this was the deadliest accident on Brazil's federal
01:22highways since 2007.
01:25Calling it a terrible tragedy, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed condolences
01:31on social media, pledging government support for the victims and their families.