Brazilian police say at least 23 killed in minibus and truck crash

A head-on collision involving a minibus and a truck in southern Brazil's Parana state resulted in at least 23 deaths and five injuries on Wednesday morning, according to police. Preliminary investigations indicate the truck, without cargo, veered into incoming traffic and collided with the minibus around 3:30 a.m. The crash occurred on a highway near Ipiranga, a city of 14,000 residents in central Parana state, approximately 560 kilometers south of Sao Paulo.

The minibus had departed from Imbituva, also in the same region. The truck's license plate is registered in Erechim, a city further south in Rio Grande do Sul state. This incident marked the deadliest crash in the region since 2021, when 19 people died in a bus accident outside Curitiba. Among the five injured, three were in serious condition and were being transported to hospitals.

The minibus passengers consisted of healthcare workers, patients, and family members. The highway's toll booth operator reported 13 women, eight men, and two children as casualties. Emergency services and local police continued their efforts at the scene hours later, with the road remaining blocked for seven hours. TV Globo broadcast footage of the truck on the roadside and the mangled minibus, which was strewn with broken glass and passengers' belongings. Parana state Governor Ratinho Júnior declared three days of mourning in the region.