A bus carrying Catholic pilgrims in Mexico collided with a tractor-trailer Wednesday, killing at least 21 people, according to local authorities.
The collision took place between the cities of Puebla and Orizaba around 10 a.m. local time, according to The New York Times. The bus was traveling to Chiapas from Mexico City when the crash with the tractor-trailer occurred, causing the bus to flip over and catch on fire. An additional 30 people were reported to be injured.
The passengers on the bus were pilgrims from a Roman Catholic archdiocese in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Mexico. They were returning from a pilgrimage to the popular Mexican shrine, the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, according to a Facebook post from a parish in the archdiocese in Chiapas.
A spokesman for the Veracruz Secretariat for Civil Protection, Enrique Silva Solís, said at least 19 of these passengers were killed in the collision while two people in the truck were killed, The NYT reported. People with injuries were transported to Río Blanco Regional Hospital in Veracruz. (RELATED: Catholic Church Vandalized With Pro-Abortion Graffiti)
At least 23 Catholic pilgrims were killed when a bus hit a cargo truck and erupted in flames in southeast Mexico https://t.co/8KUjlYfUVE pic.twitter.com/KdZP0Za3Zg
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) May 30, 2019
Solís also said state officials are still investigating the cause of the collision, as conflicting reports emerge as to which vehicle’s failed brakes caused the accident.
WATCH:
El accidente en la autopista #Puebla–#Veracruz arrojó, hasta el momento,22 muertos y 31 lesionados al impactarse un tráiler y un autobús de pasajeros, a la altura de #Maltrata https://t.co/h3LyZZTqMGpic.twitter.com/pkUUwlBAfq
— Mediatik Noticias (@mediatiknoticia) May 29, 2019
Follow Mary Margaret on Twitter.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.