At least 15 dead in Brazil road crashes

At least 15 people were killed in two road crashes in Brazil today, police and firefighters said.
In the southern state of Santa Catarina a bus bringing some 40 tourists back from the popular Iguacu Falls, one of Brazil's most popular destinations, overturned, leaving nine passengers dead and several injured, traffic police said. The cause is under investigation.
Brazil's G1 news web portal reported one policeman as saying the crash scene "looked like something out of a war zone."
It was not immediately clear if any of the victims were foreigners.
In Ceara in the northeast of the country, six people died and 32 others were injured when a bus came off the road. Early reports suggested the driver may have fallen asleep as the vehicle rounded a bend.

Media reports quoted rescue officials as saying the bus, travelling between Belem in northern Para state and Ceara's state capital Fortaleza, had been exceeding the speed limit.
According to Ministry of Health figures, some 40,000 people die annually on Brazil's often poorly maintained roads while the country also has to battle a relatively high incidence of drink driving.
Warnings against drinking and taking to the road can be seen posted along many state highways.