Luiz José de Morais Neto, 18 years old, is one of the athletes who died in the bus accident in Tauá. Social networks/Reproduction "He was a very good boy, very obedient, God-fearing. He died doing what he loved." Eleuza da Silva fondly remembers her son, Luiz José de Morais Neto, 18 years old. He is one of the seven victims who died in a bus accident in Tauá, Ceará. The young man was returning with a basketball team from a tournament in Sobral, in the northern region of the state. "He won the championship, a winner. The medal is there, with him. I don't know how we will be without him. Only God can give us strength. Everyone was very good, their life was basketball", said Eleuza, during the collective wake for six of the seven victims of the accident. ✅ Follow the g1 Ceará channel on WhatsApp The young man had finished high school in 2025, at EEMTI Presidente Geisel, better known as Polivalente. A dreamer, Luiz Neto wanted to continue playing basketball. It was one of the greatest passions of his life. READ ALSO: VIDEO: Commotion and applause mark farewell to basketball team athletes killed in accident ‘I would give my life for the boys’, says coach about those killed in basketball team accident Who were the victims Marcos Miguel, Jonatas Samuel, Cauã Fratta, Matheus Henrique, Luiz José, João Paulo and Henrique Ferreira. Personal file The six athletes and the member of the basketball team's technical committee who died in the bus accident on CE-187, in Tauá, in the interior of Ceará, in the early hours of this Monday (15), were between 15 and 22 years old. They were students or former students of seven schools and the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Ceará (IFCE), in Juazeiro do Norte. The victims were identified as: Marcos Miguel da Silva, 22 years old, member of the technical team (under-19 team); Henrique Ferreira Bezerra, 17 years old, athlete (under-19 team); João Paulo Sampaio de Alencar, 18 years old, athlete (under-19 team); Luiz José de Morais Neto, 18 years old, athlete (under-19 team); Cauã Rodrigues Fratta, 16 years old, athlete (under-19 team); Jonatas Samuel do Santos Lopes, 15 years old, athlete (under-15 team); Matheus Henrique Ferreira Martins, 15 years old, athlete (under-15 team). According to the Department of Education, the victims had links with the schools EEMTI Presidente Geisel, EEM Governador Adauto Bezerra, EEMTI Amália Xavier, EEMTI Dona Maria Amélia Bezerra, 2nd Military Police College, EEEP Professor Moreira de Sousa and EEMTI Tiradentes. Three of the dead were students from the state network: a student from EEMTI Presidente Geisel and two students from EEM Governador Adauto Bezerra. Two former students of EEMTI Presidente Geisel were also identified among the victims. Classes were suspended in the state network, in Juazeiro do Norte, last Tuesday (16). Collective wake Commotion and applause mark farewell to basketball team athletes killed in accident. The collective wake for the athletes from the Juazeiro do Norte basketball team, who died in a bus accident, ended late this Tuesday afternoon amid commotion and applause. More than five thousand people participated in the celebration, according to Juazeiro do Norte City Hall. Among them, family, friends and teammates who survived the tragedy. Six of the seven victims were buried at the Juazeiro do Norte Multi-Sports Gymnasium, where a mural was placed at the gym's entrance so that messages could be left for the athletes. The body of the seventh victim was laid to rest at the Anjo da Guarda Funeral Center. The burials began late this Tuesday afternoon. Veiled victims at the Juazeiro do Norte Multi-Sports Gymnasium: Henrique Ferreira Bezerra, 17 years old Jonatan Samuel dos Santos Lopes Cauã Rodrigues Fratta, 17 years old Marcos Miguel da Silva (Technical Assistant) Luiz José de Morais Neto, 19 years old João Paulo Sampaio de Alencar, 18 years old Victim veiled at the Anjo da Guarda Wake Center in Juazeiro do Norte: Matheus Henrique Ferreira Martins, 15 years old Athletes who died in an accident were laid to rest at the Juazeiro do Norte Multisport Gymnasium. Claudiana Morato. The State Education Secretary, Jucineide Fernandes, went to Juazeiro do Norte to follow the ceremonies. "A very sad moment for Juazeiro do Norte, for all education in Ceará. We are all in mourning", he declared. Jucineide stated that the Secretariat has been following the case "with psychologists, social workers, especially in schools where students died." "We made contact with all the schools that had students involved. Today is the day of tributes, of mourning. There are no classes in schools. From tomorrow, the return takes place through an action plan, which involves welcoming, listening. May we prepare all students and the school community for this moment, to live with this loss and that good memories can remain." Survivor technician ‘I would give my life for the boys’, says coach about those killed in team accident Responsible for the basketball team, professor Ricardo Lemos met with family members and athletes who survived the accident. During the collective wake, he received affection from relatives, friends, co-workers and students. "I work with basketball and have been traveling for 20 years with athletes, teams and I know everyone who works with sports. And traveling, participating in competitions, moving from home is always a little delicate, but necessary for competition and experiencing the sport", he stated. Ricardo managed to remove athletes from the bus after the accident. "For the first time I had to see the potential of my strength. At the time of the accident, I hit the glass that gives access to the driver's cabin with my body and that's where I managed to get out and everyone else got out through the space in the glass", he narrated. "I just thought about helping everyone, I didn't think they were hurt. And, together with some boys, we managed to get many people to safety and move everyone to help. Then, at the hospital, I found out I needed care." The Municipal Department of Traffic and Transport (Demutran) and the Municipal Guard of Juazeiro accompanied the procession of bodies through the city. A moment of prayer and an ecumenical celebration also marked the day. Accident with seven deaths Seven basketball team members die in bus accident in Ceará TV Globo/Reproduction The bus with the athletes returned from Sobral, where they competed in a championship, and headed to Juazeiro do Norte. As an official from the Ceará Fire Department told g1, the bus fell onto the road. According to the agent, who participated in rescuing the victims, five dead people climbed out of the window, were dragged and were left under the weight of the vehicle. Two other dead people were removed from the wreckage inside the bus. According to Tauá city hall, 31 people needed medical attention and were taken to hospitals in the region. This Tuesday, three victims remain hospitalized at the Cariri Regional Hospital. Victims were honored with flags and basketballs. Edison Freitas/SVM Watch the most viewed videos from Ceará: .