RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec 5 — A bus in Brazil plunged off a viaduct from a height of 20 metres yesterday after the brakes apparently failed, crashing onto rail tracks below and killing at least 16 people, officials said.

Another 27 people were hurt in the accident near the town of Joao Monlevade in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.

Photos released by firefighters showed the crushed ruins of the bus at the foot of the viaduct.

The driver lost control of it after the brakes allegedly failed, officials said.

Six people managed to scramble out of the bus before it fell, including the driver, the fire department said.

On November 25, a total of 41 people died when a truck and a bus crashed into each other near the city of Taguai in Sao Paulo state.

Between 2015 and 2019 an average of 30,000 people died yearly in road accidents in Brazil, transport officials say. — AFP