On the evening of Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at approximately 9:30 PM, a severe head-on collision between a passenger van (minibus) and a heavy-haul truck (“carreta”) resulted in a major tragedy.
At kilometer 446 of BR-251, near the small rural community of Barrocão, in the municipality of Grão Mogol, located in northern Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Travel Routes and Initial Findings
According to early information released by authorities, the heavy-haul truck was empty at the time of the crash.
It was traveling from the Northeast region of Brazil toward Rio Grande do Sul, following a route through Bahia and passing toward the city of Montes Claros.
The van, on the other hand, was transporting workers who were returning to the state of Ceará after departing earlier from the Triângulo Mineiro region.
Investigators confirmed that this route is commonly used by long-distance transport vehicles, including heavy trucks and passenger vans.
Due to the truck being unloaded at the time, its braking and road behavior characteristics may have differed from a fully loaded vehicle.
However, experts have not yet issued a conclusive explanation for how the collision occurred or what the primary cause was.
