A collision between a passenger bus and a truck early Saturday morning killed 38 people on a highway in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, officials said.

The Minas Gerais Fire Department, which responded to the scene, said another 13 people were taken to hospitals near the town of Teofilo Otoni. The bus reportedly left from Sao Paulo and was carrying 45 passengers.

Authorities said Saturday afternoon that all victims had been removed from the scene and that an investigation would determine the cause of the crash. Witnesses told rescue teams that the bus had a flat tire, causing the driver to lose control and collide with a truck. Others said a granite block hit the bus, firefighters added.

A car with three passengers also collided with the bus, but all three survived.

Governor Romeu Zema wrote on X that he had ordered the “full mobilization” of the Minas Gerais government to help the victims.

“We are working to ensure that the victims’ families are supported to face this tragedy in the most humane way possible, especially as it comes just before Christmas,” Zema said.

In 2024, more than 10,000 people died in traffic accidents in Brazil, according to data from the Ministry of Transport.

In September, a bus carrying a soccer team overturned on the road, killing three people. The Coritiba Crocodiles, a team from the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba, left for a game in Rio de Janeiro, where they were supposed to play in the national championship in American football. The match was canceled after the fatal accident.