Alaskan Latter-day Saint Missionary Killed in Bus Crash in Brazil

The other three missionaries on the bus were not seriously injured.

A 20-year-old missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Anchorage, Alaska, died in a bus accident on Friday, a faith spokesman said.

Elder Isaak Orion Card was traveling with three other missionaries on a bus in a rural area of ​​Brazil near the city of Tibagi when the bus was hit by a semi truck, Church spokesman Sam Penrod said in a news release.

The other missionaries were not seriously injured and are being cared for by members of the local church, the press release said.

Card served in the Brazil Curitiba Mission, the release said, and has served as a full-time missionary since October.

“Our love goes out to the family and friends of Elder Card, as well as to the missionaries and members of the Brazil Curitiba Mission,” the church said in a statement. “We pray that everyone will find peace and comfort as they mourn the loss of this faithful missionary and reflect on his Christian service.”

This is the fourth publicly reported death of a full-time Latter-day Saint missionary this year.

The first was a 26-year-old missionary from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who died in hospital on March 10, “shortly after becoming unwell.” He had served in the Mbuji Mayi Mission in his home country.

The second was a 20-year-old missionary from Guatemala who died April 11 while serving in the Honduras San Pedro Sula West Mission. She became ill and was taken to a hospital, where she was diagnosed with leukemia. “Doctors began emergency treatment,” the Utah-based church said, “but complications arose.”

The third was a 19-year-old missionary from Canada who was serving in the Utah-Layton Mission when he suffered traumatic brain injury and died May 8 in a Salt Lake City hospital.