Emergency crews respond to the aftermath of a deadly bus-truck crash near Lucas do Rio Verde, Mato Grosso, leaving 11 dead and many injured (Reuters)
A late-night catastrophic accident happened Friday night in Mato Grosso, in Brazil's central-western region, with a bus crashing head-on into a truck laden with cottonseed close to Lucas do Rio Verde.
The fatal accident claimed 11 lives and injured 45 people, as reported by Nova Rota do Oeste, the toll road operator, and the Brazilian Federal Highway Police.
As for the injured, 11 individuals were reported in critical condition and that "immediate, intensive medical treatment must be provided."
Out of the 26 victims with moderate injuries, 8 sustained minor wounds. The injured passengers were all taken without delay to the nearest hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, emergency teams and medical personnel extended their help on the scene amid chaos as a result of the crash.
The accident was reported to have occurred at about 9:40 p.m local time. Early reports suggest that the bus and the cottonseed truck had collided head-on. Information surrounding the cause of accident is still being investigated.
The toll road operator and highway police are still gathering information to assess the contributory factors such as road conditions, speed of the vehicles, or the driver behavior.
The tragedy brings to light a continuing challenge of the safety of highways in Brazil, especially in rural and industrial areas with heavy trucks sharing the roads with passenger vehicles. The loss of lives and the high number of injured serve as a sad testament that there is an acute need for road traffic management to be seriously reinforced together with the enforcement of safety measures.
The authorities have promised that an in-depth inquiry will be conducted with the aim of ascertaining the underlying causes of the accident so that future ones can be avoided. The families and communities involved now mourn the loss, while care is given to the injured and support mobilized in their recovery. The accident shows an inextinguishable call for infrastructural improvement and safety launches on the gigantic transport network of Brazil.
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