Fourteen dead in road collision in Brazil

Fourteen people were killed Monday when a truck collided head-on with a minibus in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, local firefighters said.

 

Earlier, police had put the death toll at seven.

 

Witnesses said the driver of the truck lost control of his vehicle and slammed into the minibus which had 25 people aboard.

 

All the fatalities occurred aboard the minibus. 

 

They were mostly patients in need of hemodyalisis and health workers on their way from the town of Rubelita to Montes Claros.

 

The driver of the truck survived the collision and was rushed to hospital for treatment, officials said.

 

Brazil, home to more than 200 million people, ranks fifth behind India, China, Russia and the United States in terms of of traffic fatalities, according to the World Health organization.

   

A total of 117 people die daily in such accidents, according to the latest available official figures dating from 2011.

 

-Sapa-AFP