Moment bus full of passengers slips under water after falling off ramp as firefighters search for victims
THIS is the terrifying moment a bus full of passengers sinks into a river, sparking a major rescue operation.
The van veered off a ramp and plunged beneath the water at Port São Francisco in northern Brazil.
Shocking footage shows passengers scrambling to escape through the van’s windows as it slips beneath the water.
Screaming and shouting can be heard in the background as several people clamber to safety on board a nearby vessel.
Others on board did not manage to flee and – terrifyingly – sank under the water with the bus.
Pensioner Maria das Dores thought she was going to die as the water closed in over her head.
She said: “I lived through moments of terror, real terror, I don’t know how I managed to survive.
“People were throwing themselves, screaming, and when it came down the ramp, it all came down with force.”
She told Brazilian newspaper Globo that there were around ten to twelve people inside the vehicle at the time of the horror plunge.
Maria – alongside seven others – has been hospitalised following the terrifying incident on Wednesday.
Maria recalled: “I couldn’t get out, so I sank along with the van.
“I struggled a lot until I managed to get out. I’m not a swimmer, but today I swam a lot”.
Firefighters swarmed the scene with two rescue teams.
Specialist divers were also deployed in a major rescue mission to find further submerged passengers.
An investigation has been launched into the accident and the bus driver has reportedly been questioned.
Psychology teams are offering support to the victims and their families.
It comes just days after a car ploughed into a group of World Cup fans while they were watching Brazil battle Norway.
The teen driver rammed the vehicle into the watch party – injuring three and narrowly missing a man with a young child in his lap.
