Four people, including three teenagers, have died after a bus carrying a football team fell 10 meters off a bridge in Brazil. In the horrific accident, in which the bus carrying the Esporte Clube Vila Maria Helena fell in Além Paraíba in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, another 29 people were injured.
According to Brazilian news website G1, the dead include three teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17 and one adult. The victims have not yet been formally identified.
The bus reportedly fell off the bridge when the driver lost control of the vehicle while passing the bridge on BR-116. Emergency services quickly arrived at the scene when the alarm went off.
The football team was on its way back to Duque de Caxias after a match for the Ubaporanga National Cup tournament, having just played against Simonesia. It placed first in the under-18 category and second in the under-16 category.
A 16-year-old survivor told TV Integracao: “Everyone was happy about winning the title and unfortunately it happened. It happened very fast. Everyone was asleep.”
He added that he was lucky to be in the back of the bus as the front sustained the most damage, while another teenager explained that he was able to get out of the vehicle after his friend managed to open the door.
Twenty-four of the injured were taken to Sao Salvador hospital. Another five were treated at the Casa de Caridade Leopoldinense in Leopoldina.
According to the Hospital of Sao Salvador, one of those treated was 19 years old and others were under 18 years old.
READ MORE: Abandoned newborn baby found ‘screaming’ on a hillside [REVEAL]