RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 20 (dpa) -- Twenty-three people have died in a road accident in southern Brazil after a minibus carrying patients collided with a lorry early on Wednesday on a national road in the state of Paraná, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
“Preliminary findings suggest that the lorry may have veered into the oncoming lane and collided head-on with the minibus,” the news portal G1 quoted the Brazilian National Highway Police as saying.
The exact circumstances remain under investigation.
The accident occurred near Ipiranga in the Campos Gerais region, killing 13 women, eight men and two children, including the lorry driver, according to the authorities.
Another five people were injured and taken to hospital, the Paraná State Secretariat for Public Security said.
The minibus reportedly belonged to the health service and was carrying patients to hospitals in the greater Curitiba area, about 200 kilometres away.
The accident site was completely closed off for several hours.
The national highway connects several regions in southern Brazil and is only a two-lane road in some places.
The Paraná state government has declared three days of mourning.
-- BERNAMA-dpa
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