RIO DO JANEIRO - More than 3,000 highway accidents occurred in Brazil from Friday night to early Tuesday morning, claiming the lives of 166 people, the federal highway police said.

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This year's Carnival holiday saw a slight decrease of traffic accidents but a rise of the death toll in road accidents, the police said. In the same period last year, 3,233 accidents and 143 deaths were reported.

The police said thousands of people will return to their homes Tuesday, which means an increase of the traffic on the highways.

On Sunday, when most travelers arrived at the places where they would enjoy the carnival, 611 accidents occurred, leaving 34 people dead and 524 injured.

The accidents only included those registered on the federal highways, but did not include those on regional roads and in urban areas.