Around 20 family members of the victims of the accident involving a truck and a bus on BR-116 arrived at the Teófilo Otoni police station (MG), this Sunday morning (22), to collect genetic material.
The accident occurred after a large block of granite came loose from a twin-train trailer and hit the bus, which caught fire and subsequently exploded.
According to sources from the Civil Police of Minas Gerais interviewed by CNN most of the victims died charred, and the condition of the bodies makes the identification process difficult. Therefore, the remains were transferred on Saturday afternoon (21) to the Legal Medical Institute (IML) in Belo Horizonte.
Family members who were already on their way to Teófilo Otoni, a municipality in the north of Minas Gerais, where the accident occurred, presented themselves at the police station to collect genetic material through saliva.
The 39 fatal victims were on the bus, which left São Paulo and was destined for the city of Elísio Medrado, in Bahia. Six passengers survived, including three children.
According to data from the Federal Highway Police (PRF), this was the accident with the highest number of deaths in history recorded on federal roads in Brazil since 2008.
The accident
The accident occurred after a large block of granite came loose from a twin-train trailer and hit the bus, which caught fire and subsequently exploded, according to the PRF.
The bus, from Viação Emtram, came from São Paulo and was destined for Elísio Medrado, in Bahia. The accident was reported at around 4am.
Initially, firefighters said the bus had lost control because of a burst tire. However, after analysis by the PRF, it was possible to verify that the accident occurred after the granite block fell from the truck.
Shortly after the bus was hit, a Fiat Argo car crashed into the truck. The three members of the passenger vehicle were rescued alive.
According to the Legal Medical Institute (IML) of Teófilo Otoni, the total number of bodies recovered was 39. The majority of the bodies were charred, making identification difficult.
The bus carried 45 passengers in total.
Fire Department teams cleaned the track to prevent further accidents, removing oil and debris. The road was reopened in both directions.
This content was originally published in Accident in MG: Relatives of victims arrive at the police station to collect genetic material on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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