MEXICO CITY — A bus carrying a Brazilian football team flipped on a road south of Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, killing three people and injuring at least six, authorities said.

Local media reported the three dead were players from the American football team the Coritiba Crocodiles of the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba.

The team was headed Saturday to Rio de Janeiro, where they were set to play in the country’s American football championship. But the game was canceled following the deadly accident. Photos circulating on local news sites and social media show the damaged bus laying on its side in the middle of the road.

“Our hearts are heavy with grief, and we ask everyone to send their prayers and positive energy,” the Coritiba Crocodiles said in a statement Saturday. “In the face of this tragedy, all our efforts are focused on supporting the team members and their loved ones.

The injured were being treated in a hospital and local authorities said they will investigate the cause of the crash.