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NEED TO KNOW
- Fifteen people were killed in a fiery three-vehicle collision on a highway on Sept. 13
- Eyewitnesses recalled seeing numerous victims who were left trapped inside one of the burning vehicles
- Onlookers said they also saw bodies lying on the side of the road in the wake of the tragedy
A fiery collision involving multiple vehicles has left 15 people dead.
The incident, between a car, a taxi and a trailer, took place on a stretch of road between the towns of Merida and Campeche on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico on Saturday, Sept. 13, Reuters reported.
The taxi collided with the rear of the car, per a translation from local news outlet Diario de Yucatán, which cited eyewitness accounts of the fatal accident. The driver of the taxi then lost control of the vehicle and drove into oncoming traffic, where it was hit head-on by the trailer, the outlet said.
Eyewitnesses recalled seeing numerous victims left trapped inside one of the burning vehicles, according to Diario de Yucatán. Onlookers said they also saw bodies lying on the side of the road in the wake of the tragedy.
Emergency service workers and the National Guard arrived on the scene shortly after the accident to secure the area, per the outlet.
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Footage of the aftermath of the collision posted on social media shows a large fire and pillars of dark smoke emanating from the wreckage.
Yucatán’s governor, Joaquín Díaz Mena, addressed the tragedy in a statement shared on X later that day.
“With deep sorrow, we received the news of the regrettable accident that occurred this afternoon on the Mérida–Campeche highway, where sadly 15 people lost their lives,” he wrote.
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Díaz Mena continued, “We express our solidarity and support to the affected families during this painful moment. Since the first report, emergency, security, and health services have been attending to the situation to provide immediate assistance.”
In a follow-up statement shared on X on Sunday, Sept. 14, the governor said he accompanied the families of the victims as they went to identify the remains of their loved ones.
“We are accompanying the families so that they have the support and facilities they need,” he said.
PEOPLE reached out to the Yucatán government and Mexico’s National Guard for comment on Sept. 14 but did not receive an immediate response.