Mexico City, Oct 27 (IANS): Twenty-four people were killed and five others injured after a passenger bus collided with a tractor-trailer in the central Mexican state of Zacatecas, local authorities reported.

National Guard coordinator Juan Manriquez said the crash occurred early Saturday when the trailer detached from the truck transporting corn, causing the bus to tip onto its right side, reports Xinhua news agency.

Rodrigo Reyes, secretary general of the Zacatecas government, said in a video statement that the bus was travelling from Tepic in the western state of Nayarit to Ciudad Juarez in the northern state of Chihuahua. He advised travellers to avoid the highway, which remained closed after the accident.

Reyes added that the injured are receiving treatment at the Mexican Social Security Institute.

"We extend our deepest condolences to everyone who has lost loved ones in this tragic accident," he said, noting that Zacatecas Governor David Monreal has ordered the State Victims' Assistance Commission to support all affected passengers.

Traffic accidents are a leading cause of death in Mexico. In 2023, over 381,000 incidents were reported in urban and suburban areas, causing over 4,800 deaths and 90,500 injuries, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography of Mexico.