RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A collision between two buses left two dead and 55 injured on federal highway BR-040, in the highland region of Petrópolis, in Rio de Janeiro, early this Sunday morning, October 27th.
A man, the driver of one of the vehicles, and a 26-year-old woman died on the scene. The wounded were referred to hospitals Adão Pereira Nunes (Hospital de Saracuruna), and the municipal hospital in neighboring city Duque de Caxias.
According to the Fire Department, the headquarters of Campos Elísios district received notification of the accident at 6:30 and used two aircraft and ambulances to assist in the removal of victims.
The highway was closed by Concer, the concessionaire that administers the road, around 9 am. At 11 am, only one of the lanes descending the mountain was in operation, with tailbacks.
According to the Federal Highway Police, the vehicles collided and one of them hit a gully. The causes of the accident are still being investigated.