SAO PAULO, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) — At least 25 people died and 5 others were injured when a passenger bus collided with a truck on a highway in the city of Sao Jose de Jacuipe, Bahia state, northeastern Brazil, reported the Fire Department on Monday.
The accident occurred Sunday night on the BR-324 highway, about 290 kilometers from Salvador, the capital of Bahia state.
According to information from the municipality of Sao Jose de Jacuipe and the Federal Highway Police, the bus was carrying people returning to the city of Jacobina after spending Sunday at Guarajuba beach.
The deceased include 22 bus passengers and 3 people in the truck, which was transporting mangoes, according to a spokesman for the Fire Department quoted by news network GloboNews.
In a statement, the mayor’s office of Jacobina, the destination of the bus, expressed sorrow over the accident and announced seven days of official mourning in the municipality. It also stated that a collective wake will be held.
The Federal Highway Police reported that the vehicles collided head-on and the road remained closed on Monday morning due to damage.
