At least 23 people were killed and 5 others injured after a passenger bus carrying patients and medical staff to hospitals collided head-on with a truck in southern Brazil, local officials said.
The crash occurred early Wednesday on the BR-373 highway in Paraná state, near the city of Ipiranga, according to the Federal Highway Police.
Following the incident, Paraná Governor Ratinho Junior declared three days of state mourning. "This is a very sad day for Paraná," he said.
Most of the victims were on a bus operated by the Imbituva city health department. The truck driver also died at the scene.
The bus was carrying patients and their relatives to hospitals in and around Curitiba, the state capital, about 180 kilometers away, police said.
Initial evidence suggests the truck crossed into the opposite lane before hitting the bus. Investigators are working to determine what caused the truck to enter the wrong lane.
Footage from TV Globo showed the truck parked on grass by the road and the bus badly mangled, with broken glass and passengers' belongings scattered across the ground.
Five survivors of the crash were taken to a hospital in the nearby city of Ponta Grossa, local media reported.
The road was closed in both directions after the collision. Road operator Via Araucaria posted on X that there was "no estimated time" for the road to reopen.
Local authorities are also assisting relatives of those aboard, providing psychological support to families, according to a city statement. The identities of the victims have not yet been released.
