Nine people were killed and 28 others were injured in a bus accident early Friday in northeastern Chiapas.
The victims were pilgrims from Tabasco who on Thursday visited a church in the municipality of Tila, Chiapas, where El Señor de Tila – a revered representation of Jesus Christ – is housed.
Chiapas Civil Protection authorities said that a bus overturned at about 5:30 a.m. Friday near Belisario Domínguez, a community in Tila, which borders Tabasco. The driver lost control of the vehicle as he rounded a curve on a wet road. The passengers were on their way home.
Three of the 28 people injured were said to be in critical condition and were receiving treatment in a Tila hospital. Locals and motorists offered initial assistance to the bus passengers before emergency services arrived.
Groups of pilgrims commonly travel to important religious sites by bus. Seven people, including three children, were killed in a bus accident while on a pilgrimage in Oaxaca in April, while 19 pilgrims were killed in a crash in southern México state last November.
