MEXICO CITY, Oct 27, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - 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.

"However, following rescue efforts and expert work carried out at the scene, the confirmed number is, unfortunately, 19 people," said a statement from Rodrigo Reyes, a senior Zacatecas state official.

He said six people were being treated at a 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 aboard to overturn.

The bus was traveling between the city of Tepic, in western Nayarit state, and Ciudad Juarez 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 saw 381,048 accidents, leading to 4,803 deaths and more than 90,000 injuries, according to the Inegi national statistics institute.