Double-tanker truck carrying gas explodes in Mexico, killing 13

A double-tanker truck carrying liquified cooking gas lost control and flipped on a highway in western Mexico, caught fire and exploded, killing at least a dozen people in nearby vehicles Monday, authorities said.

The truck's driver also apparently died. The other 12 victims apparently did not have time to attempt to escape and were found sitting in their vehicles, burned beyond recognition.

Photos of the scene distributed by prosecutors in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit showed an SUV blown onto an adjacent hillside and parts of the tanker truck flung into a nearby field.

The prosecutor's office said charred bodies littered the road and three burned-out vehicles.

Many such large double-trailer freight trucks have been involved in horrifying crashes in Mexico in recent years.