A highway accident in the state of Yucatán on Saturday claimed the lives of 16 people, authorities said.
A freight truck carrying beer, a passenger transport van and a private vehicle were involved in the crash on the Mérida–Campeche federal highway near the town of Kopomá, Yucatán.
The Yucatán Security Ministry (SSP) initially said that 15 people died at the scene of the crash. However, the death toll increased to 16 after the burned remains of another victim were found amid the wreckage of the passenger van, which had burst into flames.
The SSP said on Saturday that the driver of the freight truck was among those who were killed. Among the other victims were construction workers from Calkiní, a town in the state of Campeche, and the driver of the van they were traveling in. Five of the victims were women.
The SSP said that fire trucks and ambulances responded to the accident. Two people injured in the crash, both occupants of the private vehicle, received treatment at the scene and were subsequently transferred to the hospital.
According to preliminary investigations, the passenger van, traveling at excessive speed, collided with a private vehicle and consequently veered into the path of the beer truck, which was heading to Mérida. The van and the private vehicle, a Ford Ikon, were heading toward the state of Campeche.
Yucatán Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena and Campeche Governor Layda Sansores conveyed their condolences to the families of the victims.
In a social media post on Sunday, Díaz Mena said that he had accompanied relatives of the victims to Medical Forensic Service (SEMEFO) facilities in Yucatán.
“I expressed our solidarity and support to them for the identification and transfer of their loved ones to their communities. Via a telephone call, the Governor Layda Sansores, also offered her condolences and support from Campeche,” he wrote.
With reports from EFE, La Jornada, Milenio and El Universal
