A collision between a bus transporting patients and a truck in southern Brazil in the early hours of the 19th local time left 23 people dead.

According to local police and media reports, around 3:30 a.m. that day, a large truck crossed the centerline at kilometer 209 on a two-way, two-lane section of the BR-373 highway near Ipiranga in Paraná state, crashing into a small bus traveling straight in the opposite lane.

The accident has resulted in 23 deaths and 5 injuries so far.

The injured were transported to nearby hospitals, where 3 of them are reportedly in critical condition.

Authorities stated, "At least 23 fatalities have been confirmed, and the majority of the victims were bus passengers."

The victims also included the truck driver.

The accident bus belonged to the health authority of Imbituba in Paraná state and was transporting patients and their caregivers to a major regional hospital in Curitiba.

The road where the accident occurred is a major highway connecting the southern region of Brazil to São Paulo, the country's largest city.

Police are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident.

(Photo: Brazil Federal Highway Police data, Yonhap News)