Before tipping over, the bus went the wrong way, hit rocks on the side of the highway and collided with a sand bank; driver survived and was taken to the police station
A mechanical failure may have been the cause of the serious incident on Friday night (17), on BR-423, in a section known as Serra dos Ventos, between Saloá and Paranatama, in Agreste de .
The driver of the tourist bus, who survived the accident and showed no signs of intoxication, reported to the Federal Highway Police (PRF) that he lost control of the vehicle after an alleged brake failure. Out of control, the bus invaded the opposite lane, colliding with rocks on the side of the highway. In an attempt to regain control, the driver managed to return to his original lane, but ended up colliding with a sand bank before the vehicle rolled onto the road.
The bus, which had been chartered, was transporting a group of thirty passengers who were returning to Brumado, in Bahia, after a day of shopping at the Santa Cruz do Capibaribe Clothing Center, also in the Agreste region of Pernambuco. The PRF reported that some passengers were thrown from the vehicle, which raises the possibility that they were not wearing their seat belts at the time of impact. Among the fatal victims, eleven women and four men were confirmed.
The two drivers who took turns driving the vehicle survived. The person driving at the time of the accident suffered minor injuries, underwent medical treatment and was subsequently taken to the Garanhuns Civil Police Station to give a statement.
The rescue operation mobilized teams from the Mobile Emergency Care Service (Samu), Fire Department, Military, Civil and Federal Highway police, in addition to the Institute of Criminalistics (IC). The injured were distributed to health units in the cities of Paranatama, Iati and Garanhuns. The highway remained completely closed for more than eight hours for the work of rescue and forensic teams, being reopened in the early hours of Saturday (18).
