17 Killed in Brazil Carnival Accident

Seventeen people were electrocuted during a freak accident at a large pre-Carnival parade, Brazilian police said Monday.

They said fireworks lit by partygoers caused a power line to fall on a tightly packed crowd dancing behind a large sound truck.

The accident happened late Sunday in the small town of Bandeiro do Sul in Minas Gerais state, north of Rio.

A police spokesman said most of those killed on the street were hit directly by the downed power line.

Carnival officially begins on Friday.