14 Killed in Fiery Minibus Crash in Mexico
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2019 3:40 pm
Firefighters work at the scene of an accident involving a tourist van and a cargo truck on the Lagos de Moreno highway in Zapotlanejo, Jalisco state, Mexico, Dec. 18, 2019.
GUADALAJARA, MEXICO - A minibus carrying a family to a holiday beach getaway in Mexico crashed into a lumber truck on Wednesday and caught fire, killing 14 people, including five children, authorities said.
Many of the victims were trapped inside the burning minibus, whose charred chassis could be seen impaled on the back of the truck. The accident occurred in Jalisco state, on the highway that runs from the family's native Guanajuato state to the Pacific beach resort of Puerto Vallarta.
Twelve more people were injured in the pre-dawn crash. Two were in serious condition and were airlifted to a hospital in the state capital, Guadalajara, said state emergency authorities.
Officials said the truck had stopped on the side of the road when the minibus crashed into it.
"It was a tourism service hired by a family" traveling to Puerto Vallarta for the holidays, said Samuel Flores of the Jalisco state civil protection service.
Deadly accidents occur frequently during the Christmas season in Mexico as roads fill with vacationers and revelers.