At least 15 passengers died in a bus crash in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, the circumstances of which are still being clarified, local police said today, quoted by Agence France-Presse, BTA reported.
The accident occurred last night after the driver of the bus, in which 30 people were traveling, lost control of the vehicle, the Pernambuco traffic police reported.
The driver "swiped the vehicle into the oncoming lane and crashed it into rocks on the side of the road [...], after which the bus hit a sandbank and overturned", the police added in a statement.
According to the latest data, 11 women and 4 men are among the victims. The number of injured has not been confirmed. The driver suffered minor injuries and was tested for alcohol, which came back negative, police said. He was then taken to the police station. "Some of the passengers were thrown from the vehicle, indicating they were likely not wearing seat belts," the police statement said.