18 dead in Brazil bus accident

By Senabri Silvestre

SANTO DOMINGO, Dom. Rep. (AA) – At least 18 people were killed and more than a dozen injured when a bus carrying university students overturned in Brazil.

The accident occurred late Wednesday night between Mogi das Cruzes and Bertioga municipalities, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the country's economic capital of Sao Paulo, authorities said Thursday.

The driver apparently lost control of the bus with 46 passengers and crashed into a rock in an oncoming lane before the vehicle fell into a ravine, according to O Globo newspaper.

The victims, mostly student between 20 and 22 years of age from two separate universities, were going to Sao Sebastiao, a coastal town in Sao Paulo.

Fourteen victims were killed instantly, including the driver, according to rescue services. The injured were taken to four different local hospitals.

The number of traffic accident deaths in Brazil ranks amongst the worst in Latin American region with more than 23 causalities on the road per every 100,000 inhabitants each year.