Bus belonging to pilgrims falls into a cliff in Cruzeiro (SP) after mechanical problem

The bus carrying 48 passengers, six of whom died after the vehicle fell into a cliff in Cruzeiro (SP), had a mechanical problem hours before the accident. Images from security cameras show the vehicle stopped on a street in Lavras (MG), where the agency responsible for the tour is located. The driver would have received assistance before continuing to board the pilgrims.

The images were recorded on Rua Tenente Aguinello, in the Floresta neighborhood. According to residents, the bus passed through the area around 11am on Saturday (19), but was unable to go up the street and had mechanical problems.

The vehicle was parked at the location for around five hours. Security cameras recorded the movement of the driver and a person who allegedly provided assistance. Oil marks were also observed on the road.

Images show a possible problem with a bus carrying pilgrims before the accident in SP — Photo: Fleudmem Maylon

Residents suspect that the material may be related to a leak in the bus or vehicle that went to the scene to provide assistance. According to the images, the bus left the street at around 4:20 pm.

The pilgrims' trip was scheduled to begin at 7pm on Saturday, in the Rosário district, in Itumirim (MG). However, according to passengers interviewed by the EPTV report, affiliated with TV Globo, the bus arrived at the location around 10 pm.

According to the pilgrims, the driver explained the delay by saying that he had lost an uncle that day.

A person would have helped the driver with the repairs — Photo: Fleudmem Maylon

Accident

The bus left the Rosário district during the night heading to Aparecida (SP). At Cruzeiro (SP), the vehicle lost control and fell into a bank of approximately 15 meters. Six people died and dozens were injured.

The driver, Lammounier Domingos Botelho Naves, 38, was also injured. He was arrested in the act on Sunday (20), but received provisional release after a custody hearing held on Monday (21).

In a statement to the Civil Police, the driver reported that he had stopped at the top of the mountain around 4:30 am on Sunday and that, until that moment, the trip continued normally. According to him, the problem started during the descent: the second gear would not have engaged and, when he applied the brake, the pedal would have sunk.

The driver's defense informed that it will not comment on responsibility for the accident, which is still being investigated by the Civil Police and depends on the carrying out of forensic examinations. The defense also lamented the consequences of the accident.

The National Land Transport Agency (ANTT) reported that the bus was not linked to a company authorized by the agency and did not have a travel license to carry out interstate passenger transport. According to ANTT, the service was carried out clandestinely.

Bus fell into a bank of approximately 15 meters on Rodovia Doutor Avelino Júnior, in Cruzeiro (SP). — Photo: Gabriel Guimarães/Rede Vanguarda

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Injured

Eight victims remain hospitalized. According to information obtained by the report, two are in a hospital in Lorena (SP) and six remain hospitalized in a hospital in Cruzeiro (SP).

The six dead were buried on Monday. Sebastião Petronilho, 74 years old; Jairo Antônio de Paula, 47; Augusto Antônio de Lima, 63; Ilza Nazaré Pereira de Paulo, 64, who organized the tour; and Evandro Carlos Garcia, 46, were buried in the Rosário district cemetery, in Itumirim.

Alice Fátima Alves da Silva, aged 14, was buried in the municipal cemetery of Itutinga (MG).

Five of the six victims of an accident involving pilgrims' buses on the border between MG and SP — Photo: EPTV Reproduction