A brutal pile-up accident rocked Mexico on Sunday after a heavy-duty truck (tractor) lost control and crashed into dozens of vehicles at high speed.
The accident occurred at kilometer 68-69 of the busy Guadalajara-Tepica federal highway, near the municipality of Magdalena (state of Jalisco).
According to official information disseminated by the Mexican newspaper Excelsior and confirmed by the Emergency Situations Commission, The victims are currently at least 16 people, including two minors. Due to the scale of the collision and the huge fire that followed, authorities are still searching for missing people in the area, which could add to the grim statistics.
How did the nightmare hit happen?
Initially, there was a minor accident on the road between two other trucks, which road maintenance teams and the National Guard had already arrived at the scene to secure. However, while rescue operations were ongoing, a third large truck crashed into the crowd of people and stopped cars.
The impact was so strong that it set off a chain reaction. Seven vehicles caught fire and crashed into the ground, turning into sheet metal traps. Eight of the bodies found were completely charred by the fire.
Dozens injured, including foreigners
In addition to the dead, rescue services reported more than 10 seriously injured. The Jalisco Civil Protection Service reported that among the injured were:
Four US citizens (rushed to a private clinic in Guadalajara); Two Mexican National Guard agents in critical condition; Three maintenance workers on the highway section.The governor of the state of Jalisco expressed his deepest condolences to the relatives of the deceased on the social network X and assured that medical helicopters and all available resources have been mobilized to rescue the survivors.
The driver has been detained
The driver of the truck that caused the second wave of the collision survived. He was detained by the forces of order at the nearby checkpoint “Plan de Barrancas“ and is to be questioned to determine whether a technical malfunction (brake failure) or human error was the cause of the tragedy.
Traffic along the key corridor in Western Mexico remains completely blocked in both directions, and authorities are urging drivers to avoid the area and use alternative routes.