At least 32 people have died after a bus drove over an embankment and plunged hundreds of feet in a rural area of southern Brazil late Saturday, a CNN affiliated broadcaster and a local newspaper reported, citing police sources.
The bus fell more than 1,000 feet, TV Record reported. The crash injured at least another 12 people, military police spokesman Nelson Henrique Coelho told the broadcaster.
The passengers were traveling to a religious event when the bus appeared to lose control at a bend, TV Record reported.
Rescuers arrived at the crash scene with 15 ambulances and a helicopter. They have recovered those confirmed injured from the bus. Four children are among them, TV Record reported.
Newspaper O Globo reported 11 people injured, citing traffic police.
The annual rate of road accident deaths in Brazil is roughly double that of the United States, according to the World Health Organization. An estimated 43,869 people died there in traffic accidents in 2010.