At least 23 people, including two children, have been killed and five others injured after a minibus and a lorry collided head-on in the southern Brazilian state of Paraná in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The crash occurred at around 3:30 a.m. local time on the BR-373 highway near Imbituva, a city in Paraná — a state in Brazil's prosperous southern region — at a point known as kilometre 209. The highway was closed for nearly seven hours while forensic teams and federal highway police examined the scene.

The minibus belonged to the health department of Imbituva and was transporting patients and their relatives to medical appointments in Ponta Grossa, a city roughly 60 kilometres away, as well as to hospitals in the wider Curitiba area — Curitiba being the state capital of Paraná. The lorry was travelling in the opposite direction, from Carambeí to Prudentópolis. Most of the fatalities were passengers aboard the minibus, though the lorry driver also died in the crash. Early evidence gathered by highway police indicates that the lorry crossed into the oncoming lane before the collision, though investigators say the full circumstances are still being examined.

Authorities have opened a formal investigation to establish the cause of the crash. Preliminary findings point to the lorry having drifted into the wrong lane, but no definitive conclusions have yet been reached. The five survivors were taken to local hospitals, and their current condition has not been confirmed.

The tragedy underscores Brazil's persistently dangerous road conditions. According to a World Bank study, more than 34,000 people died in road traffic accidents in the country in 2023 alone, with motorcyclists accounting for the largest share of victims. Researchers point to excessive speed, drink-driving, and the use of mobile phones at the wheel as the most common contributing factors. Earlier this year, 15 people were killed when a bus carrying pilgrims overturned in the north-eastern state of Ceará. Wednesday's collision is a further reminder of the human cost of road safety failures across Latin America's largest country.