At least 10 killed as freight train slams into bus outside Mexico City

A freight train slammed into a double-decker bus at a crossing northwest of Mexico City early Monday, killing at least 10 people and injuring more than 40, authorities said.

The accident took place in an industrial area of warehouses and factories in the town of Atlacomulco, about 130 kilometers northwest of Mexico City.

The state of Mexico's civil defence agency said via 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 bus from the Herradura de Plata line was ripped apart by the collision.

The agency said 10 people were killed and 41 injured. Local media reports said the injured were taken to hospitals throughout the state.

The bus company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The train line, Canadian Pacific Kansas City of Mexico, confirmed the accident and sent its condolences to the families of the victims. The Calgary, Canada-based company said its personnel were on site and cooperating with authorities.

Authorities did not immediately give details about how the accident occurred, but one video circulated on social platforms showed the bus in heavy traffic slowly moving across the train tracks when the fast-moving train suddenly appeared out of frame, ramming the bus at its midpoint. The train's momentum carried the bus down the tracks and out of frame.

There were no visible crossing gates or other signals. Just prior to the crash cars could be seen crossing the tracks as traffic advanced.

Cars going in the other direction stopped crossing the tracks at the time the bus drove onto them, though a motorcycle scooted across seconds before the crash. The train hit the passenger side of the bus.

Another video showed the bus at rest to the side of the tracks. The roof of the bus was gone and people could be seen moving on the top level as the train slowed to a stop.

A woman could be heard crying, Help me, help me.

Rebeca Miranda waited beside the tracks Monday for authorities to tell her what would happen with the victims' bodies. Her sister and her sister's daughter-in-law were on the bus when it was hit around 6:30 am, she said.

Her sister was taken to the hospital and was able to speak, but the other woman died in the accident, Miranda said. They were both domestic workers. Miranda said she couldn't be with her sister in the hospital because she needed to find out what would be done with the other woman's body.

Miranda said the bus should not have been crossing the tracks just as the train was careening through the intersection. It's really unfortunate. Why? To beat the train. Those are lives.

According to the most recent report from Mexico's Rail Transportation Regulating Agency published in September, accidents at grade-level crossings are the most common and have been on an upward trend in recent years.

Last year there were 800 compared to 602 in 2020, the report said. The document did not include how many victims were involved in the accidents.

Last month, six people died when a train hit several vehicles in Guanajuato state. In 2019, nine people were killed when a a freight train struck a passenger bus crossing the tracks in the central state of Queretaro.