MATAMOROS: At least 13 citizens were killed after a passenger van and a semi-truck collided on a highway in northeastern Mexico.
The vehicles crashed on a road between the cities of Zaragoza and Hidalgo in the border state of Tamaulipas.
Tamaulipas security officials said that “civil protection officials are responding, and so far they’re reporting 13 citizens deceased.”
Pictures shared by authorities showed the passenger van almost destroyed by fire, with the semi-truck severely burned.
The number of victims could rise, said an official from the prosecutor’s office, who didn’t want to be identified, as there’re indications the truck driver’s family was with him and may have died too.
Early indications were that the driver may have fled.
The prosecutor’s office official said local media reported that more than 20 citizens may have died in the crash and resulting fire, but first responders were still working to understand the circumstance at the scene.
Local media reported that the victims may have all been members of one family who had rented the vehicle to drive to the city of Monterrey in Veracruz.
Road accidents have increased in current years in Mexico, usually due to speeds, poor vehicle conditions, and driver fatigue.
Civil organizations have demanded stricter restrictions to curb the toll.
