BRASILIA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- A multi-vehicle pileup in southeast Brazil's Minas Gerais state claimed at least 13 lives on Saturday and left another 39 people injured, officials said.

The accident, which occurred along a stretch of the BR-251 Highway, near the town of Gran Mogol, in the state's northern region, involved at least six vehicles, including two minibuses.

The number of fatalities could rise as one of the injured is in critical condition and 11 others sustained serious injuries, rescue workers from the fire department and emergency services said.

The initial death toll was reported to be seven until the rescue operation discovered six more bodies under the vehicles.

According to a preliminary police report, the crash was caused by a truck that invaded an oncoming lane and collided with a minibus, unleashing a chain reaction that impacted a second minibus, an SUV and two other vehicles.

The remote site of the accident, located 424 km north of the state capital Belo Horizonte, is inaccessible to radio or mobile phone signals, slowing the rescue operation.