Bus crash kills at least 15 in western Mexico

A bus crashed after experiencing brake failure over the weekend on a highway in the western Mexican state of Jalisco, killing at least 15 people and injuring 37 others, emergency services officials said on Monday.

The accident occurred at 7.30 p.m. on Sunday near the city of Atotonilco while the bus passengers were returning from "a family trip to San Juan de los Lagos," Jalisco emergency services and fire chief Jose Trinidad Lopez Rivas told Efe.

Residents of the city of Ayotlan hired a private bus that was in poor condition, explaining the failure of the vehicle's brake system, Lopez Rivas said.

"The brakes failed, according to the information provided by those at the scene, and that caused it to flip over," Lopez Rivas said, adding that private buses did not undergo preventive maintenance because they were not operated by established organisations.

Bus accidents are common in the region because residents hire vehicles "without knowing if they are in good condition," the emergency services chief said.

A total of 11 people were pronounced dead at the scene and four others died while being treated at hospitals.

Four children are among the dead, Lopez Rivas said.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident, which happened close to the exit for Atotonilco.

The injured are being treated at hospitals in the cities of La Barca, Ayotlan, Tepatitlan and Atotonilco.

--IANS

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