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Teenage rowers among nine killed in Brazil road crash

By AFP
October 22, 2024
Relatives of victims of the accident that killed nine members of the rowing team of the social project Remar Para o Futuro hug each other at the clubs headquarters, in the city of Pelotas, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, October 21, 2024. — Reuters
Relatives of victims of the accident that killed nine members of the rowing team of the social project Remar Para o Futuro hug each other at the club's headquarters, in the city of Pelotas, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, October 21, 2024. — Reuters

SAO PAULO: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday paid tribute to seven teenage members of a rowing team who were among nine people killed in a road collision.

“There are no words to describe the pain of losing a son or a grandson,” Lula wrote on social media after the accident on Sunday night in Guaratuba in Parana state. “My feelings and solidarity are with the families and friends of the victims,” he added.

The rowers, aged 15 to 19 years old, were members of a club in Pelotas in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul who were returning from a competition in Sao Paulo. The two other victims were reported to be the van driver and the team coordinator. The van carrying the team was hit by a truck that apparently suffered brake failure, according to the Federal Highway Police.