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Six family members die in head-on collision with truck on BR-251 highway in MG

5 sources · 22 Apr 2026

Six people from the same family died in the early hours of Tuesday (21st) after the car they were in collided head-on with a truck at km 263 of BR-251 highway in Salinas, Northern Minas Gerais. The family was traveling from São Paulo to Bahia when the accident occurred around 3:20 AM.

The BR-251 highway in Minas Gerais is considered one of the most dangerous roads in the region, recording a high rate of accidents with frequent fatalities through March 2026. The stretch where the accident occurred was recently auctioned to private companies and will undergo duplication and improvement works, but the interventions will only begin after the contract signing scheduled for June or July.

Where they disagree: 3 partial reports · 4 consensus points See the disagreements →
What else we know From public documents and data.

Família viajava de São Paulo para a Bahia quando o acidente ocorreu por volta das 3h20 na altura do km 263, em Salinas, Norte de Minas. As vítimas foram identificadas como José de Ribamar Rodrigues Santos (49), Maria Cíntia Cavalcante dos Santos (39), os três filhos do casal (15, 10 e 3 anos) e a avó Solange Pereira Cavalcante (59).

Seis pessoas de uma mesma família morreram na madrugada de terça-feira (21) após o carro em que estavam colidir de frente com uma carreta no km 263 da BR-251, em Salinas, Norte de Minas. A família viajava de São Paulo para a Bahia quando o acidente aconteceu por volta das 3h20.

As vítimas foram identificadas como José de Ribamar Rodrigues Santos (49 anos), Maria Cíntia Cavalcante dos Santos (39), três filhos — de 15, 10 e 3 anos — e a avó Solange Pereira Cavalcante (59). O motorista da carreta não se feriu. A Polícia Rodoviária Federal (PRF) investiga as circunstâncias da colisão frontal.

Até a manhã de terça, não havia informações oficiais sobre as causas do acidente. A rodovia foi totalmente liberada por volta das 8h30, segundo relatos de motoristas. Um cachorro que viajava com a família também morreu no local.

Fontes

  1. Síntese original e consenso entre fontes (agências de notícias, PRF)
  2. Dados públicos não indicam registros prévios das vítimas em bases abertas (Wikidata, Escavador)
What we added beyond the sources (3)

What the sources say

Consensus
4
all sources agree
Partial
3
only one or two report
Disputed
0
sources contradict each other

Click any claim to see the source quotes and primary documents.

Consensus

Six people from the same family died in an accident on BR-251 highway in Salinas, MG

5 sources
Consensus

The victims were José de Ribamar Rodrigues Santos (49 years old), Maria Cíntia Cavalcante dos Santos (39), three children (15, 10 and 3 years old) and grandmother Solange Pereira Cavalcante (59)

4 sources
Consensus

The family was traveling from São Paulo to Bahia and the truck driver was not injured

4 sources
Consensus

The accident occurred around 3:20 AM at km 263 of BR-251 highway

3 sources
Partial

A family dog also died in the accident

Reported by: Correio 24h jc.uol.com.br
Partial

The highway was fully reopened at 8:30 AM

Reported by: A Crítica jc.uol.com.br
Unconfirmed exclusive
1 source · tap to expand

At the time of reporting there was no timeline for full reopening

⚠ only one source — exclusive, unconfirmed

Reported by: Hoje em Dia
Silence from: Correio 24h O Tempo Regional A Crítica jc.uol.com.br

All sources

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