Awwal 25, 1432 H/Feb 28, 2011, SPA -- At least 17 people died and a further 50 were injured in an accident in pre-Carnival celebrations in the small Brazilian town of Bandeira do Sul, in the state of Minas Gerais, dpa reported. According to media reports Monday, the victims were electrocuted as they danced on a typical Carnival float known as an "electric trio," which drives around towns playing Carnival songs through its loudspeakers. Survivors of the accident said it happened Sunday, when a flare broke a power line on the street. The wiring fell on the truck, which was carrying scores of people. "The trio was chock-full," Daniel de Oliveira Castro, one of the organizers of the party, told the Brazilian website UOL on Monday. "It was chaos. People were electrocuted, many fell on the floor. The lights went out. It was horrible." The disaster shocked Bandeira do Sul, a town of 6,000 people whose pre-Carnival celebrations attract many from nearby towns. Oliveira said that the ill-fated float was being followed around by a crowd of about 10,000 people. At least five of the injured remained hospitalized Monday in serious condition. The accident caused a power outage for nearly six hours in Bandeira do Sul.
