A devastating crash on BR-251 in northern Minas Gerais has left nine people dead and several others injured, drawing renewed attention to a stretch of highway long considered dangerous by drivers, transport workers, and local residents.
The collision happened on the evening of Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at around 9:30 p.m., near kilometer 446 of BR-251, close to the rural community of Barrocão in the municipality of Grão Mogol. Authorities said a passenger van and a heavy-haul truck collided head-on with such force that both vehicles were pushed off the road into an area that was difficult for rescue teams to reach.
The van was carrying workers who had left the Triângulo Mineiro region and were heading back to Ceará. The truck, which was empty at the time, was traveling from Brazil’s Northeast toward Rio Grande do Sul, passing through Bahia and toward the Montes Claros area.
Rescue Teams Faced a Difficult Scene
Emergency crews from the Corpo de Bombeiros Militar de Minas Gerais, SAMU, the Polícia Rodoviária Federal, and forensic teams from the Polícia Civil de Minas Gerais responded to the crash.