Accident between minibus and trailer leaves 23 dead on BR-373 in Paraná

Rescue teams have already removed the bodies of the 23 people who died after the head-on collision between a minibus and a trailer on BR-373, in the early hours of Wednesday (19), between the cities of Ponta Grossa and Imbituva.

Five people were injured and taken to a hospital in Ponta Grossa. The track remains completely closed in both directions and is expected to reopen at 10:20 am.

According to data from the Via Araucária concessionaire, the victims of the accident are 13 women, eight men and two children. The five injured people taken to a hospital in Ponta Grossa are three men aged between 22, 50 and 49; a 26-year-old woman and a 9-year-old child.

According to information from the Federal Highway Police (PRF), the bodies will now be sent to the Technical-Scientific Execution Unit (UETC) of the State University of Ponta Grossa (UEPG), where expert examinations will be carried out to identify the victims. Only after this process will the victims of the accident be officially confirmed so that the families can be notified by the authorities.

The scientific team is still analyzing the circumstances of the crash to determine who is responsible. A preliminary assessment by the PRF indicates that the truck had invaded the opposite lane where the minibus was traveling. At the time of the collision between the two vehicles, it was not raining and there was no fog either.