Head‑On Crash on Brazil Highway Claims 23 Lives Including Children
On the early hours of Wednesday, a minibus carrying patients and relatives from the city of Imbituva travelled toward Ponta Grossa on the BR‑373 highway in the state of Paraná. It collided head‑on with a lorry ahead of it at kilometre 209, causing a catastrophic wreck.
The crash took the lives of at least 23 people, including two children. The lorry’s driver was also killed. Five others were reported injured. Authorities say the highway was closed for roughly seven hours while forensic teams and the Federal Highway Police examined the site.
Investigations are underway to determine why the vehicles collided. Initial reports point to possible causes such as excessive speed, driver intoxication, or use of mobile phones while driving – common contributing factors in Brazil’s traffic fatalities. A World Bank study noted over 34,000 road‑traffic deaths in Brazil in 2023, most of them motorcyclists.
This tragedy follows other high‑profile crashes in Brazil, including a bus that overturned on 15 February, killing 15 people on a pilgrimage route.
