‘Hero’: school bus driver saves ten students during flood in Santa Catarina

Leomar Ribas, school driver from grasslandin Santa Catarina, saved the lives of ten students on Thursday, 2, after the vehicle he was driving was invaded by water in a flash flood. The bus was traveling on the Oficina Line, a rural area of ​​the municipality, when the water began to rise quickly. Upon realizing that it would not be possible to continue the journey, the driver stopped near a high place and guided the teenagers to the emergency exit on the roof of the car.

The passengers, all teenagers aged between 12 and 15, were returning from school when they were surprised. In a statement to the city council, Ribas stated that during the journey, he noticed a fallen bridge, which blocked the flow of water and diverted the current towards the road.

In publications about the case on Capinzal city hall’s social networks, it is possible to find many comments congratulating the driver’s quick action, among them, one user commented “Not every hero wears a cape, some drive school buses”.

Family members of the students also expressed their gratitude in comments. One user congratulated the driver for saving her nephew, and added: “Thanks to God and to this driver, today (he) is home with his family.”

The Civil Defense of Santa Catarina shows that, in total, 33 cities were affected by bad weather across the State and four of them have already declared an emergency: Araranguá, Praia Grande, São João do Sul and Ipira.

The most affected region is the west of the state, where one death was recorded and one person was injured. The death occurred when a 61-year-old man tried to cross a flooded area with his car and was swept away by the current in Ipira.

In Caçador, also in the western region, a car was hit by a tree. The driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital.