MEXICO CITY ( Associated Press) – At least 18 people were killed in a massive collision between a fuel tanker truck and a passenger bus in northern Mexico on Saturday, police said.
Both the vehicles were completely burnt in the collision. Photos released by the police showed the bus in a tangle of smoke, charred metal.
“The first investigation so far suggests that the deceased were on a bus to Monterrey, the collision was caused by a possible detachment of a container carrying fuel in the direction of Ciudad Victoria,” the prosecutor said. The Tamaulipas State Office, bordering the United States, in a statement.
Tamaulipas State Police initially found nine remains, but by noon prosecutors reported that nine more had been recovered.
“Prospective police personnel and experts are at the scene and conducting similar investigations,” the prosecution said. He said the death toll could rise.
The accident happened before dawn on a highway leading to the northern city of Monterey on Saturday.
The driver of the fuel truck apparently survived and is being investigated. Apparently, the bus had left the central state of Hidalgo and was on its way to Monterrey.
The truck was carrying two fuel tanks at once. This type of double container truck has been involved in many fatal accidents in the past as well.
Due to the loose enforcement of weight restrictions and safety inspections in Mexico, there have been calls in the past to ban these types of vehicles, which are too heavy and cumbersome.
