Interstate Bus Crash On BR-116 Highway Kills Four, Dozens Injured As Rescue Teams Respond

Curitiba, Brazil— Four passengers were killed and at least 22 injured early Saturday when two long-distance buses collided head-on on a fog-covered stretch of BR-116 near Fazenda Rio Grande, just south of Curitiba, crushing the front cabins and trapping riders in twisted seats. The crash happened at 4:50 a.m.

Federal Highway Police said one bus, operated by a company running São Paulo to Porto Alegre, was attempting to overtake a truck on a double-yellow line. The other bus, coming northbound from Florianópolis to São Paulo, had no time to brake. The impact was at full speed. The northbound driver died on impact. Three passengers in the front rows died with him. The southbound driver survived with serious leg injuries.

BR-116 is Brazil’s longest highway and one of its deadliest. This stretch, known as Régis Bittencourt, sees heavy truck traffic and frequent fog. It has no median barrier in that sector. A highway officer at the scene said, “This is a classic overtake crash. No barrier, no margin. One mistake and you have four dead.” He said the southbound bus was doing 98 km/h in a 80 km/h zone, according to preliminary GPS data.

Survivors described chaos. “We were sleeping. Then a bang. Glass everywhere. People on top of each other,” said a 27-year-old passenger traveling to São Paulo for work. She suffered a broken collarbone. “A man in front was not moving. The driver was shouting for help but his legs were stuck.”

Rescue took two hours. Firefighters used hydraulic cutters to open both buses. The injured were taken to hospitals in Curitiba and São José dos Pinhais. Five were in critical condition by noon. The highway was closed northbound until 10 a.m., creating a 14-kilometer backup of trucks.

Both bus companies issued statements expressing condolences and promising cooperation. ANTT, the transport regulator, said it will audit both firms’ driver hours. The southbound driver had been driving for seven hours straight, logs show, one hour over the legal limit.

Families gathered at the PRF post in Fazenda Rio Grande looking for names. The official passenger list had not been released. One mother waited four hours to learn her son was in surgery.

The Federal Prosecutor’s office opened an investigation for culpable homicide.

The buses remain in the police yard. The highway is open but traffic is slow.