Train collides with bus in Mexico

December 29, 2006

A train has crashed into a bus in a suburb of Mexico City, the capital of Mexico. The bus and train slid along the track for more than 100 yards (approx. 90 metres), according to witnesses.

The collision has killed at least 24 people and injured 12 more, according to police and other Mexican authorities.

Another department spokesman, Octavio Campos, said that 19 bodies had been recovered from the wreckage of the bus, and that two of the 12 people initially listed as injured later died in the hospital.

The incident occurred as the bus headed north on a highway in Cuautitlán. The bus collided with the 36-carriage train as it crossed the tracks in the industrial area.

The bus driver apparently misjudged the speed at which the train was traveling, thinking he could beat it across the level crossing.

The bus driver was arrested following the crash, and according to officials, was trying to flee the scene. The train conductor was also detained for questioning. The train was pulling 36 empty wagons at the time on the incident.

Juan Carlos Herrera, an emergency worker at the scene, said the casualties were all from Mexico.