The tragedy unfolded at around 3:30 a.m. local time on a major highway connecting southern Brazil to São Paulo in the municipality of Ipiranga. The bus, operated by the Imbituva health department, was transporting patients to medical centers in Curitiba when the crash occurred. Among the dead was the truck driver, though details regarding other occupants in the truck have not yet been released.

Local media images showed the bus completely mangled by the roadside, and the highway remained closed for hours, creating miles of backed-up traffic.

Fatal traffic accidents are a recurring issue on Brazilian roads. The latest incident follows a string of deadly crashes in the country, including an overturned bus in Rio de Janeiro that claimed eight lives on Sunday, and a February accident in northeastern Brazil that killed at least 16 people returning from a religious festival.