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Head-on collision between bus and lorry in Brazil kills more than 20

Vanessa BuschschlüterLatin America online editor
Handout picture/Federal Highway Police An officer with Brazil's Federal Highway Police looks at the wreckage of a minibus and a truck which collided on the BR-373 highway in the southern Brazilian state of Parana. Both vehicles have veered off the road. The minibus is almost completely destroyed, with broken glass and pieces of metal scattered on the road. The rear of the truck is showing less damage, the front appears damaged but cannot be made out clearly on the photo. Handout picture/Federal Highway Police
The crash happened in the early hours of Wednesday morning local time

At least 23 people, among them two children, have been killed and another five injured in a head-on collision between a minibus and a lorry in southern Brazil, highway police say.

The crash happened early on Wednesday local time on the BR-373 highway in the southern state of Paraná.

Local media reported that the minibus belonged to the health authorities of the nearby city of Imbituva and was transporting patients and their relatives to health appointments in Ponta Grossa, some 60km (36 miles) away.

Authorities have opened an investigation to determine what may have caused the two vehicles to crash into each other.

Among those killed is the driver of the lorry, police said.

The highway was closed for almost seven hours while forensic experts and members of Brazil's federal highway police examined the site of the crash, which is located at kilometre 209.

Deadly road traffic accidents are not uncommon in Brazil.

According to a study published by the World Bank, more than 34,000 people died in such accidents in 2023, most of them were motorcyclists.

Research suggests excessive speed, inebriated drivers and the use of mobile phones while driving is often the cause.

In February, 15 people died on board a bus carrying pilgrims to a festival in the north-eastern state of Ceará.