The death toll from a bus crash in southeastern Brazil on Sunday rose to 41.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva described the incident as a terrible tragedy.
The toll surged from the 38 deaths announced after the crash on Saturday when the Federal Highway Police called it the worst accident on the nation’s highways since 2007.
Speaking with reporters on Sunday, the Civil Police confirmed that 41 bodies had been removed from the accident scene near the mining town of Teófilo Otoni in Minas Gerais state.
The bus was reportedly travelling from São Paulo, in the southeast, to northeastern Bahia State when a large block of granite, apparently falling from a truck travelling in the opposite direction, struck the bus.
It was reported that the bus burst into flames during the ensuing wreck.
It took hours for rescue workers to extinguish the flames, clear the wreckage, and remove all victims.
The deceased included the bus driver and at least one child, authorities said.
The truck driver fled the scene, military police said, adding that his license had been suspended two years ago.
Lula took to social media to offer prayers for the recovery of the survivors of the tragedy, sending condolences to the victims’ families.
An accident last month in northeastern Alagoas State claimed 17 lives when a bus plunged into a ravine on a remote mountain road.
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