9 firefighters killed in Brazil after cave collapses during training exercise

The accident occurred as a group of 26 firefighters were on a training exercise in a cave near the city of Altinopolis

Nine firefighters died on Sunday in Brazil's Sao Paulo state after the roof of a cave in which they were training collapsed, authorities said, raising the death toll from three, Qazet.az reports citing India Today.

"There were nine dead and one person rescued. No more victims at the site," the Sao Paulo fire department said on Twitter.

The accident occurred as a group of 26 firefighters were on a training exercise in a cave near the city of Altinopolis, the Sao Paulo fire department said on Twitter.

"The roof of the cave collapsed", trapping part of the group, it said.

A previous report said 15 firefighters were still buried, and that three of the victims who were rescued suffered fractures and hypothermia.