SAO PAULO, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Six people died on Monday when robbers tried to hijack a truck, causing it to overturn onto a passenger van on a highway in south Brazil's Parana state, said the Federal Highway Police.
The attempted robbery occurred in the municipality of Campina Grande do Sul in the metropolitan region of Curitiba, the capital of Parana.
Authorities said all the victims were in the van, which was heading toward Curitiba when it was struck by the truck.
The van was carrying about 21 passengers from the municipality of Campo Largo, who were returning from a religious service in the city of Sao Paulo.
The truck driver said he was driving toward Sao Paulo when the assailants traveling in another truck intercepted his vehicle, firing several shots as they boarded, though no one was injured.
They forced the driver to turn toward Curitiba, which activated the truck's satellite tracking system and caused it to stop on an uphill stretch.
The assailants then demanded that the system be unlocked, and when refused, they forced the driver to jump out of the vehicle and release the brake, causing the truck to roll backward and collide with the van.
Further investigation is underway. ■
