RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) – Twenty-three people died Sunday when a bus on a remote mountain road in Brazil’s northeastern Alagoas state dived into a ravine, regional authorities said.
Police were working to identify those killed and to free bodies from the wreckage of the bus, which fell into a ravine more than 20 meters (65 feet) deep, the state government said in a statement.
It said “several” people were injured.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on the social media platform X that his government “will give all necessary support to state authorities in the assistance, care and support of the victims.”
He expressed condolences to the families of those involved in the accident.
Alagoas state governor Paulo Dantas declared on X three days of mourning over the “tragedy.”
The bus was reported to have been carrying some 40 people up a mountain road to a historical site near the town of Uniao dos Palmares when the driver lost control, apparently after a mechanical failure.
The bus went off the road in an area difficult to access, near a site in the Serra da Barriga mountain range that has historical importance to Brazilians.
In the 17th century there was a settlement there that was part of the Quilombo dos Palmares, a remote community set up by escaped slaves which ended up being crushed by Brazil’s Portuguese colonial masters.
November is the month Brazil celebrates “Black Awareness,” with a public holiday on November 20 — the anniversary of the death of Zumbi, the most prominent leader of the Quilombo dos Palmares.
Brazil’s racial equality minister, Anielle Franco, said on X she was “hit hard” by news of the accident, adding “this tragedy saddens us even more deeply” given the Black Awareness events held in the region.
**This news has been updated to reflect the latest figures
