At least 32 people have been killed when a passenger bus and a truck collided on a highway in southeastern Brazil.

The fire department in Minas Gerais state, which responded to the crash near the town of Lajinha early on Saturday, said “between 32 and 35 people” were killed.

It said earlier that 13 people were taken to hospitals near the city of Teofilo Otoni.

The bus had reportedly departed from Sao Paulo and was carrying 45 passengers.

Authorities said the bus blew a tyre, causing the driver to lose control and collide with the truck. A car also collided with the bus, but all three of its passengers survived, according to the fire department.

All victims have been removed from the site, and an investigation is being conducted to determine the cause of the accident, authorities said.

Firefighters work the accident, which they say killed from 32 to 35 people [Handout/Belo Horizonte Military Fire Department via Reuters]

Governor Romeu Zema wrote on X that he ordered “full mobilisation” of the Minas Gerais government to assist survivors and families of the victims.

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“We are working to ensure that families of the victims are supported to face this tragedy in the most humane way possible, especially as it comes just before Christmas,” Zema said.

According to Globo, a Brazilian media outlet, the truck driver fled the scene and is being sought by police.

According to the Federal Highway Police, the highway where the accident occurred was the deadliest in the country in 2023 with 559 deaths recorded, Globo reported.

A person inspects the scene of the collision [Handout/Belo Horizonte Military Fire Department via Reuters]

In 2024, more than 10,000 people died in traffic accidents in Brazil, according to the Ministry of Transportation.

In September, a bus carrying the Coritiba Crocodiles football team flipped on a road and killed three people.

The team from the southern city of Curitiba was headed to a game in Rio de Janeiro, which was cancelled after the accident.