Crash between cargo truck and bus in Mexico kills 19 and injures six

A cargo truck collided with a passenger bus in northern Mexico on Saturday, leaving at least 19 people dead and six injured, authorities said.

Officials adjusted the death toll after initially reporting 24 deaths, citing information from first responders.

In a statement, Rodrigo Reyes, a senior Zacatecas state official, said: “Following rescue efforts and expert work carried out at the scene, the confirmed number is, unfortunately, 19 people.”

He said six people were being treated in hospital.

The accident, on a highway that connects Zacatecas with the central state of Aguascalientes, occurred when a container filled with corn fell off the truck, causing the bus with 25 people onboard to overturn.

The bus was travelling between the city of Tepic, in western Nayarit state, and Ciudad Juárez on the US border.

The highway was closed to traffic, Reyes said, adding that army, National Guard and civil protection forces were deployed.

Traffic accidents in Mexico have been on the rise since 2020, when there were just over 300,000.

Last year there were 381,048 accidents, leading to 4,803 deaths and more than 90,000 injuries, according to the Inegi national statistics institute.