The death toll from a tour bus's horrific plunge into a densely wooded ravine in southern Brazil has risen to 54, as President Dilma Rousseff expressed her sadness over the news.
The bus went off a twisting mountain road on Saturday and crashed 400m to the bottom of the ravine, landing on its side.
Fire fighters pulled the victims from the wreckage, despite the difficult terrain and the bodies were taken to a morgue.
The bus, carrying a group of evangelical Christians to a religious event in the neighboring state of Parana, swerved off a curve on Saturday and 400 metres before coming to rest in a wooded area snarled in thick vegetation.
Rescue crews were still trying to recover the bodies of victims on Sunday. At least six survivors, including two children, were being treated for injuries.
Nearly 100 rescue workers descended on the crash site, but the difficult terrain and night fall complicated the work.
Among the dead were at least eight children and 24 women, regional government spokeswoman Ana Paula Keller said.
Advertisement The toll had initially been put at about 30 but the number rose throughout the night as rescuers continued to find bodies at the difficult-to-access crash site and other victims succumbed to their injuries at a nearby hospital.
A government official in Santa Catarina said the vehicle was likely carrying 59 people. The bus was supposed to be carrying 50 people, authorities said.
Several ambulances and a helicopter were dispatched to the area and recovery efforts resumed this afternoon.
The crash site was near a lookout point in the Dona Francisca mountains, a popular stop for tourists. The bus was operated by a tour firm and was travelling a route of about 300 kilometres between Uniao da Vitoria and Guaratuba, on the Santa Catarina coast.
Witnesses told local press that the driver lost control on the curvy stretch of highway, but the cause was still under investigation. Police said it appeared the brakes on the bus had failed.
Several drivers stopped on the roadside to try to help victims as they waited for emergency services to arrive.
Accidents on this winding road are common. The O Estado newspaper said 66 people had been killed on the highway in the last five years.
In 2007, 27 people were killed in a single accident and another crash in 1999 left 35 dead.
Monday 16 March 2015
http://www.smh.com.au/world/rescuers-retrieve-bodies-after-brazilian-tour-bus-crash-kills-54-20150315-144sq5.html
http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0315/687193-brazil/
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