13 killed in tractor, bus collision in Brazil

An accident involving a tractor and a passenger bus left 13 people dead and at least 17 others injured in northeastern Brazil's Bahia state early Monday.

The bus with 38 people on board collided head-on with the tractor that slipped off the flatbed trailer truck that was transporting it and went round a bend, Xinhua quoted the Federal Highway Police as saying.

The bus travelling in the opposite lane was en route from Sao Paulo, in the southeast, to Paulo Afonso, in Bahia state, the police said.

Neither the bus company nor the local authorities disclosed the victims' names, but the bus driver was reportedly among them.

The truck driver fled the scene, but surrendered to the police later.

The driver said in his testimony that the tractor was properly tied to the truck bed and he did not know how it came loose, according to website G1.

However, preliminary investigations indicate that the tractor was not properly tied. If that is the case, the truck driver may be charged with multiple counts of murder.