A bus fell 30 feet from a highway viaduct in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, killing at least seven passengers. The bus fell from the high bridge onto what is said to be one of Rio de Janeiro's busiest thoroughfares at rush hour. Traffic was stopped for a long time as officials investigated the crash. Injured Brazilians were seen being evacuated to hospitals from the badly smashed bus, laying across Avenida Brasil.
A passenger told Globo television that a passenger on the bus allegedly began fighting with the driver after the operator reportedly skipped several stops and did not keep the exit door open long enough for the passenger to exit. The passenger allegedly struck the driver, causing them to lose control of the bus.
Unlike many large American cities, Rio de Janeiro's mass transit, made up mostly of buses, are owned by mostly unregulated private organizations. This fact has led to numerous reports of overcrowding, poor safety conditions and decrepit vehicles. Washington, DC's METRO system on the other hand tends to take the opposite approach.
The regularly-patrolled system of buses and subways famously conform to a strict no-food policy, as well as home to up-to-the-minute arrival message boards, and is seen as an incredibly clean and safe alternative to driving the oft confusing and speed-camera-ridden streets and roundabouts of the nation's capital.
In Rio, Police Officer Jose Pedro da Costa Silva told G1 that indictments will follow the incident for the surviving driver and alleged instigator.
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