Twelve university students lost their lives, and 21 others were injured in a tragic collision between a bus and a truck in Brazil’s southeastern state of São Paulo, officials reported on Friday.

“We woke up to the heartbreaking news of this tragedy that claimed the lives of 12 students in a horrific accident,” São Paulo State Governor Tarcísio Freitas wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

According to São Paulo’s civil defense authorities, the crash occurred late Thursday. Twenty-one injured individuals were taken to the hospital, with most discharged shortly after treatment. Among the injured, one person sustained a cranial injury, while three others remain hospitalized in stable condition.

Governor Freitas stated that the students were returning home from the private University of Franca when the accident happened. “Their dreams were abruptly cut short,” he added.

The state government confirmed that the truck driver has been charged with fleeing the scene, negligent homicide, and causing bodily harm through negligence.

This tragic incident follows Brazil’s worst federal highway accident since 2007, which occurred in December 2024 when 41 people died in a bus crash in the state of Minas Gerais.