Bus crash kills at least 19 in Brazil
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-06-03 15:37

A government bus carrying Indians from a health clinic in northeastern Brazil went out of control on a wet road and careened into a creek on Thursday, killing at least 19 people, authorities said.

Authorities were still investigating the cause of the crash, but said heavy rains contributed to the morning accident near the small city of Jaboatao dos Guararapes, about 1,400 miles northeast of Sao Paulo.

The Indians were being transported back to their tribes in the interior of Pernambuco state after undergoing routine government-sponsored health exams in the nearby capital of Recife, health ministry spokesman Jason Pascoal said.

Witnesses said the driver lost control while trying to avoid a hole on the road, police said. The bus flipped over and submerged after falling upside down at the bottom of the creek.

A rescue worker drowned after diving to try to help the victims, police said.