12 university students killed when their bus and a truck collide in Brazil

SAO PAULO — A bus carrying university students and a truck collided on a highway in southeastern Brazil, killing 12 passengers and injuring 21 others, authorities said Friday.

The truck driver, who was also injured, tried to flee the scene of the crash late Thursday night on a highway near Nuporanga, a city about 370 kilometers (230 miles) from the state’s capital, but was caught and hospitalized. He was later charged with attempting to flee the scene, involuntary homicide and bodily harm.

All of the dead were students from the University of Franca, officials said. The injured were taken to hospitals in the region.

Local television stations broadcast images from the crash scene showing the bus, its left side completely destroyed in the collision.

Gov. Tarcísio de Freitas declared three days of official mourning in the state of Sao Paulo, where the accident occurred.

“It is with great sadness and sorrow that we receive the news that our students had their dreams cut short in a tragic accident,” the university said in a statement.

In 2024, more than 10,000 people died in traffic accidents in Brazil, according to the Ministry of Transportation.

In December, another crash between a passenger bus and a truck killed 38 people on a highway in Minas Gerais state.

Last September, a bus carrying the Coritiba Crocodiles football team flipped on a road, killing three people. The bus was traveling from the southern city of Curitiba to a game in Rio de Janeiro, where the team was to play in the country’s American football championship. The game was canceled following the deadly accident. _