Bus, Truck Collision Kills 17, Injures 22

A chartered bus carrying carnival revelers collided with a truck in eastern Rio de Janeiro state on Thursday, killing 17 people and injuring another 22, police said.

The bus was returning from celebrations in Porto Seguro, about 430 miles northeast of Rio, when it ran into a truck driving in the opposite direction but in the same lane.

In Brazil, where two-lane highways are the norm, it is common for vehicles to enter the oncoming lane in order to pass slower vehicles.

The accident occurred near the city of Conceicao de Macabu, about 120 miles east of Rio de Janeiro, where most of the victims lived.

“From what we can tell everything indicates the truck driver was at fault in the accident. But we’ll have to wait for the investigation to be completed to know for sure,” Rio de Janeiro state policeman Antonio Carlos de Carvalho said.

The truck driver was among the dead. Of the 22 injured, Carvalho said 17 were in serious condition.