RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- In the early hours of Monday, a bus overturned on a federal highway in Sao Paulo state, southeastern Brazil, killing at least six people and injuring 45 others.

According to Brazil's Federal Highway Police, the bus, on the BR-153 federal highway, was carrying rural workers when one of its tires blew out. The driver lost control of the vehicle, which veered off the road and overturned.

Police said all the injured have been taken to hospitals for treatment. The passengers departed from Maranhao state in northeastern Brazil and were heading to Santa Catarina state in the south for the apple harvest.

The Sao Paulo State Secretariat of Public Security said in a statement that the Civil Police are identifying the victims and other individuals involved in the accident. The bus company has also been identified, and the cause of the accident has yet to be determined. ■