By IANS
Rio de Janeiro : Two separate accidents at the same location killed 28 people and injured 90 in Brazil’s southern state of Santa Catarina, the country’s Federal Highway Police said.
The first accident occurred late Tuesday when a truck collided with a bus while trying to pass another vehicle on a curve, while the second incident, which happened two hours later, was caused when a truck lost control, hitting several emergency vehicles and people working on the rescue operation at the scene of the initial accident, reports Spanish news agency EFE.
The bus involved in the first accident was carrying 40 people and was hit by a truck hauling soy on a highway near the town of Descanso in far western Santa Catarina, RBS radio reported, adding that the vehicles went down an embankment and caught fire.
The bus, which had left from the town of Chapeco, was transporting workers from an agricultural cooperative who had participated in a fair and were returning to São Jose do Cedro.
At least three people were killed in the second accident, including a radio reporter and a television cameraman who were covering the accident. The injured were taken to five hospitals for treatment.