At least 21 killed, 29 injured in Mexico bus crash

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InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5

MEXICO CITY - A bus veered off a bridge into a ravine in western Mexico early Friday, killing at least 21 people and injuring 29 others, police said.

The bus was carrying a group headed to the beach in the village of Rincon de Guayabitos when the predawn crash occurred, Omar Landazuri, a duty officer for the Nayarit State Civil Protection Service, told AFP.

"The bus overturned and began to roll down a ravine, ejecting people along the way," Landazuri added, saying that many of the victims died from the battering they received.

At least 29 people were taken to different hospitals in the city of Tepic, including 11 children and seven adults in serious condition, he said.

The crash occurred on the Tepic-Guadalajara highway, about 750 kilometers (465 miles) northwest of Mexico City.

It was not immediately clear how many people were on board the bus at the time of the crash.

Although the cause of the accident is still unclear, local media reports indicate the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel.

Landazuri said the bus, owned by Golden Express Tours, had been rented by the group from the northwestern Chihuahua state for a trip to the Pacific coast.

Friday's crash brings the number of serious bus accidents in Mexico to four this year.

In the most serious recent incident, on April 20, a truck smashed into a bus transporting farm workers in the eastern state of Veracruz, killing 43 people.

Around 24,000 people die from road accidents in Mexico each year, according to insurance companies -- a figure almost double the annual drug violence death toll.

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