A freight train has collided with a double-decker bus in Mexico, shearing it in two and killing at least 10 people while injuring 41 others, authorities said.
The accident took place shortly before 7am (2pm UK time) on a railway crossing in an industrial part of Atlacomulco, a town about 80 miles (130km) northwest of the capital, Mexico City.
The state of Mexico’s civil defence agency said on X that authorities were still working at the site of the accident, and the state prosecutor’s office said it had opened an investigation.
The attorney general’s office said seven women and three men were killed, and some of those injured were in severe condition.
Images from the scene show the roof had been ripped from the top of the bus, owned by the passenger bus company Herradura de Plata (Silver Horseshoe).
Video on social platforms of what appeared to be CCTV footage of the crossing showed the bus in heavy traffic slowly moving across the train tracks.
The train then suddenly appeared, ramming the bus at its midpoint and splitting the vehicle in two. The train’s momentum carried the bus down the tracks.
The front half came to rest beside the crossing and the rear half further down on the opposite side of the tracks.
Authorities did not immediately give details about how the accident could have occurred. There were no visible crossing gates or other stop lights, witnesses said.
Miguel Sanchez, 33, who works at a service station about 100 yards away said he heard the train blow its horn ahead of the crossing.
“We heard a crash. We thought it was just a car. We never thought it would be a bus with so many people aboard,” Mr Sanchez told the AP news agency.
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The train line, Canadian Pacific Kansas City of Mexico, confirmed the accident and sent its condolences to the families of the victims. The Calgary-based company said its personnel were on site and cooperating with authorities.
It also called on drivers to respect road signs and stop orders at railroad crossings.
The bus firm Herradura de Plata did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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The most recent report from Mexico’s Rail Transportation Regulating Agency, published in September, revealed there were 800 accidents at level crossings last year, compared to 602 in 2020.
Last month, six people died when a train hit several vehicles in Guanajuato state.
In 2019, nine people were killed when a freight train struck a passenger bus crossing the tracks in the central state of Queretaro.
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