At least 21 people died and 30 were wounded in a fiery accident in the southeastern Mexican state of Veracruz on Wednesday when a bus collided with a cargo truck, a state official and various local media outlets reported.
The bus was traveling from Mexico City to Tuxtla Gutierrez in the southern state of Chiapas when the accident occurred.
“Civil Protection informed us that 20 people burned to death at the scene of the accident and another 31 were taken to hospital,” said Germán Arena , a spokesman for the municipality of Maltrata, where the accident occurred.
Most of the victims were catholic pilgrims from the Tuxtla Gutiérrez Archdiocese who had traveled to Mexico City to visit the Basilica de Guadalupe church on Sunday. 19 people died on site, two of whom were traveling in the cargo unit.
The Cumbres de Maltrata area is known to be particularly foggy and dangerous for drivers traveling on the winding Veracruz-Puebla highway.
Photos and videos circulating on social media showed the bus and truck engulfed in flames.
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