At least 21 people dead in Mexico after multi-vehicle highway accident

At least 21 people died in an auto accident on Wednesday on a highway connecting Mexico's Oaxaca and Puebla states, a top state official said.

In a post on social media, Puebla Interior Minister Samuel Aguilar said the accident involved three vehicles and that an unspecified number of other people were being treated for injuries.

Mexican newspaper La Jornada reported that a fatal head-on collision occurred when a cement truck attempted to overtake another vehicle before crossing into the opposite lane and hitting a bus, then crashing head-on into a transport van.

The truck crashed into a ravine and burst into flames after the collision, according to the report.

The deadly accident follows others on winding, steep roads in remote parts of Mexico. In March, at least 11 people died when the bus transporting them flipped over in Oaxaca.

In 2023, at least 29 died after a bus crashed into a ravine travelling through the southern state.