A road accident in northern Mexico left 12 people dead and four injured Sunday, sparking a forest fire that was later contained, authorities said.
The crash occurred when a pickup truck carrying 16 people plunged into a ravine in the mountainous Santiago area of Nuevo Leon state, said Erik Cavazos, district director of Civil Protection.
Eleven passengers died at the scene, while a minor succumbed to injuries at the hospital, Cavazos said. Four others remain hospitalized after falling nearly 400 feet (120 meters).
David de la Peña, Santiago’s municipal president, suggested a mechanical failure may have caused the accident, as there were no skid marks indicating the brakes had been applied.
The vehicle’s fall triggered a forest fire, which was later extinguished, according to Civil Protection officials.
Mexico has seen a string of deadly road accidents in recent weeks. On March 11, two highway crashes left 32 people dead in the north and south of the country. In one of the worst incidents this year, 38 people died on Feb. 8 when a cargo truck collided with a passenger bus in the southeastern state of Campeche.
Road accidents in Mexico, often involving cargo trucks, have increased in recent years due to vehicle defects, reckless driving and driver fatigue.
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