A minibus slammed into a barrier on a highway near a state capital in central Mexico, killing at least 19 people and injuring 12 more, said local media.
The vehicle plowed through a curve and smashed into a concrete barrier, crashing into a nearby tree. The accident occurred Monday afternoon in Mexico state, southeast of Mexico City.
The state Oaxaca’s highway management agency said the bus was carrying 25 passengers, including a woman who died on the spot. Those killed have been identified as: Alejandro Zambrano, 29; Alejandro Juarez, 41; Marta Maria Reyna, 37; Mario Osegueda, 53; David Osegueda, 32; Elizabeth Lozano, 24; Alisa Hidalgo, 37; Diego Hidalgo, 21; Andres Medina, 22; Alejandro Medina, 23; Elif Verri, 21; Carlos Olivero de Jesus, 37; Alejandro Moran, 33; Maria Maria Céspedes, 53; María Cruz Cataño, 52; and Ruìnguez Castañeda, 67.
Passengers’ ages range from 20 to 80, and most of the deaths were from the female passengers. Two were found dead at the scene, and another was hospitalized. Four people survived the crash and are in stable condition, according to state government officials.
For a few hours on Monday, traffic was diverted off the highway between Tlahuac, Oaxaca, and Chilpancingo, according to the Oaxaca government.
Monday’s accident is the third major bus crash in Mexico in the past two weeks. Two other buses collided on a highway near Oaxaca on August 30, killing 16 people. The national roadway was closed for nearly four days in late August following another bus crash near Veracruz that killed 24.
In addition to the victims, three people were listed in serious condition following Monday’s crash.
The authorities in charge of investigating the crash have not offered details of their investigation.
It was the second major crash this month in Mexico.
Last week, a migrant bus carrying Central American migrants carrying women and children and headed toward the U.S. was struck by a truck, killing four people.
The Mexican government is facing mounting criticism of its policies toward illegal border crossings and migrants, with Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto taking heat from the right and left. Last week, local media reported that a female Mexican police officer was shot and killed by migrants.