MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

At least 41 people killed in a crash of a bus and a truck in Sao Paulo

“There were bodies everywhere” when rescuers arrived, a police source said. “It was impossible to tell who had been in the truck and who had been in the bus”

At least 41 people were killed and 10 injured on Wednesday when a bus and a truck crashed in southeastern Brazil, police said. The bus, which was carrying employees on their way to work at a textile factory, collided with the truck just before 7 am on a motorway outside the town of Taguai, in Sao Paulo state, police said.

“There were bodies everywhere” when rescuers arrived at the scene, a police source said. “It was impossible to tell who had been in the truck and who had been in the bus,” he added.

“We know there are more victims in the wreckage of the vehicles, but we don’t know how many,” it said.

Police said 37 people were killed at the scene. Four more died of their injuries in hospital. Another nine people are in serious condition, they said.

In a situation like this, blood transfusions are essential, and the worst part is that stocks are down because of the coronavirus pandemic,” state health secretary Jean Gorinchteyn told television network Globo News.

Images from the scene showed the vehicles smashed into pieces, debris strewn across the road. The front end of the bus was completely torn off.

Dozens of rescuers were still busy at the scene. Taguai is about 340km west of Sao Paulo, Brazil’s biggest city and economic capital.

“I want to send my condolences to the families and friends of the victims of this very terrible accident,” said Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria.

Local media reports said there were 53 people on the bus. The truck driver reportedly survived. The crash was one of the worst in recent memory in Brazil, where 5,332 people died in road accidents last year.