The bus crash happened on Sunday near the Brazilian resort town of Paraty, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) southwest of the city of Rio de Janeiro. At least 40 people were injured.

The bus was traveling between Paraty and the coastal area of Trinidade, a fire department official told news agency AFP.

The accident happened on a steep curvy road known as "Morro do Deus me Livre" ("God Help Me Hill," in Portuguese). The cause of the accident is not yet known.

Paraty, a Portuguese-era colonial down with a population of around 40,000, sits on the border of Brazil's two most populous states, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

Brazilians celebrate Independence Day on Monday, and the public holiday weekend has seen many more people take to the roads to get to coastal areas.

More than 40,000 people die on Brazil's roads each year. Fifty-four people were killed in March when a bus plunged off a cliff in the southern state of Santa Catarina.

jr/cmk (AFP, dpa)