Bus accident with 11 dead in Brazilian Mato Grosso state

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A bus accident in the municipality of Sorriso in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso killed 11 people and injured others. The number of the 45 passengers on board the bus has not yet been determined.

According to the Federal Highway Police, the accident occurred at noon on Tuesday (15:00 GMT) at kilometer 799 of federal highway BR-163, where it ran from the regional capital of Cuiaba toward Sinop.

Local platforms stated that expert Leandro Valendorf pointed out that there was a skid mark caused by the bus on one of the lanes, indicating that the bus had entered the opposite lane. He explained that high speed was not the cause of the accident.

“It was a very tragic accident, unfortunate. It was perhaps one of the largest accidents ever recorded at this location. We have several people who have already been rescued and are on their way to the hospital,” said the head of the National Road Police in Sorriso, Leonardo Ramos.

And “It is one of the most serious accidents we have registered in the region. We had to rescue several people and take them to hospitals,” said Leonardo Ramos.

According to other sources, the public transport vehicle entered the oncoming lane and, for reasons that are not yet clear, collided head-on with an oncoming truck carrying soybeans.