Bus Accidents

Report from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:

Seventeen people died when a bus carrying pilgrims veered off a country road in northeastern Brazil.

Another 18 of the 51 people on board were injured, highway police said today.

The bus driver, who was among the dead, lost control of the vehicle between two curves, officer Francisco Gouvea said.

Report from Beijing, China:

A total of 20 tourists were confirmed dead today with four more missing after a bus plunged into a river in southwest China's Sichuan province, state media reported.

The accident happened early yesterday, when the bus, crammed with passengers on their way to a scenic spot, veered off the road at a sharp turn along the Fu river, Xinhua news agency said.

And, of course, let's not forget this report from Arkansas:

A tour bus carrying 30 Chicago-area residents to a Mississippi casino left Interstate 55 north of Marion and flipped Saturday morning, killing 14 aboard, a state police spokesman said.

Tragic and somewhat odd that they should all occur about the same time on three different continents.