GUARATUBA - Nine people died when the van they were traveling in collided with a truck in southern Brazil late on Oct 20, local authorities said.

       Seven of the victims were teenage members of a rowing team from Pelotas, in Rio Grande do Sul state, who were traveling back from a competition in Sao Paulo when the crash happened in Guaratuba, Parana state.

       According to Brazil's federal highway police, only one of the van's 10 occupants - a 17-year-old rower - survived. The truck driver, a 30-year-old-man, had minor injuries, they added.

       Police said the truck failed to brake and collided with the rear of the van, which was thrown forward and crashed into the rear of a car driven by a man, who was not injured.

       The van then spun and the truck dragged it off the road, falling on top of it, police added.

       President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressed his condolences on social media. "There are no words that can describe the pain of losing a child or grandchild. The pain is irreparable," Lula wrote. REUTERS