24 dead in Mexico, Bolivia road accidents

Mexico City: At least 13 people died after a bus carrying pilgrims to a religious shrine in Mexico flipped over on Saturday, authorities said.

Another 10 were injured in the accident in the western state of Jalisco.

The bus was taking 23 people to the town of San Juan de Los Lagos, which hosts an annual Catholic celebration. 

The pilgrims were going even though this year's edition was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The town's Shrine of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos draws an average of two million people annually.

Five of those who died in Saturday's accident were thrown from the vehicle, and two were minors.

Deadly road accidents are not uncommon in Mexico.

Last year, at least 16 people were killed and 22 were injured in a September smash involving a bus and a truck in the northern state of Sonora.

And in April, a collision between two buses carrying workers at a Sonora mine left at least 16 dead.

Meanwhile, A bus in Bolivia tumbled 400 meters (1,300 feet) into a ravine on Saturday, killing at least 11 people, authorities said.

It was not immediately known how many people were on the bus, which was traveling in central Cochabamba department.

The driver was among those who survived the fall, said Rensso Elwis Mercado, head of traffic for the department.

"He can help us clear up many doubts," Mercado said, adding that the cause of the accident is under investigation.

One child was among the fatalities and two others were hospitalized, police said.

The National Statistics Institute says 1,096 people died in road accidents in Bolivia in 2020.

SOURCE: AFP