24 dead, 5 injured in traffic accident in central Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Oct. 27 (Xinhua): Twenty-four people were killed and five others were injured after a passenger bus collided with a tractor-trailer in the central Mexican state of Zacatecas early Saturday, local authorities said. National Guard Coordinator Juan Manriquez said the crash occurred when the trailer separated from the truck carrying corn, causing the bus to tip over on its right side.

Rodrigo Reyes, secretary general of the Zacatecas government, said in a video statement that the bus was traveling from Tepic in the western state of Nayarit to Ciudad Juarez in the northern state of Chihuahua. He advised travelers to avoid the highway, which remained closed after the accident. The injured are being treated at Mexico’s Social Security Institute, Reyes added.

“We express our deepest condolences to all those who lost loved ones in this tragic accident,” he said, noting that Zacatecas Governor David Monreal has instructed the State Victims’ Assistance Commission to support all affected passengers.

Traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of death in Mexico. According to Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography, more than 381,000 incidents were reported in urban and suburban areas in 2023, resulting in more than 4,800 deaths and 90,500 injuries.