At least seven people were killed and another 15 were injured Monday in an accident involving a minibus transporting elderly patients in southern Brazil's Parana state, regional authorities said. According to preliminary reports from the Health Consortium of Western Parana Municipalities, the vehicle belongs to the Health Secretariat of Pato Bragado, a city in the interior of the state, and was taking hospital patients to other cities for consultation with specialists, Xinhua news agency reported.
The minibus veered off the highway in a jungle area near the city of Marechal Candido Rondon, 163 km from the neighboring city of Foz do Iguazu, on the border with Paraguay and Argentina. News channel GloboNews reported that police officers and firefighters took the injured to nearby medical centers.