Causes of the accident with the tour bus on BR-381 are...

The causes of the accident with a tour bus that fell from a height of 35 meters from the so-called Ponte Torta, on the BR-381, between João Monlevade and Nova Era, in the Central region of Minas, on the afternoon of last Friday (4) , are still unknown.

It is not yet known whether the bus was speeding at the time of the crash, and whether another vehicle was involved in the accident, which left 18 dead and 26 injured, including a 15-year-old boy. The information was passed on by the Civil Police of Minas Gerais (PCMG) at a press conference held this Saturday afternoon (5) in Belo Horizonte.

According to criminal expert Daniella Rodrigues Caldas Leite, all elements, such as measurements and photographs, were collected from the accident site for analysis. Collective equipment was also collected for experts to analyze if there was any mechanical failure on the bus that may have caused the accident.

“The bridge has a slope of 4 degrees on its way up. So far, what we can say is that, when it was passing at the KM 350 of the track, the bus started to reverse, and then it precipitated, due to the slope of the track, going down without control, and leaving the left side from the bridge. As a result, the first impact occurred 26 meters from the bridge. Then, the vehicle made a longitudinal turn until it collided its front part 34.5 meters from the bridge ”, explained the criminal expert.

Also according to Daniella, it is not possible to specify when the report with the cause of the accident will be finalized, since other exams and complementary expertise may be necessary later.

Understand

Before the tour bus fell off the 35-meter bridge, some people managed to jump out of the moving vehicle in a desperate attempt to save their lives. Unfortunately, even so, 18 died and 26 were injured, including a 15-year-old boy.

So far, eight victims of the accident, who were inside the collective, have been heard by Civil Police investigators.

The bus driver who fled the scene of the accident is still missing. Another driver of the collective died in the fall. The police also investigate whether there was a third driver in the vehicle.