Four American citizens sustained minor injuries in a devastating multi-vehicle collision on a highway in Mexico's western state of Jalisco on Sunday. The crash, which resulted in at least 10 deaths and approximately 10 other injuries, involved multiple tractor-trailers and other vehicles, according to reports from Mexican authorities.
The incident occurred when a tractor-trailer reportedly experienced brake failure and collided with a line of vehicles already stopped due to an earlier accident. This initial incident involved a rear-end collision between two tractor-trailers. A third tractor-trailer then crashed into the scene, triggering a massive pileup.
As a result of the secondary impact, three private vehicles and two tractor-trailer trucks were engulfed in flames and completely destroyed. Two additional private vehicles and a National Guard vehicle also sustained damage. Firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.
Jalisco Civil Protection confirmed that the four injured Americans were transported by private ambulance to Arboledas Hospital in Guadalajara. Reports from the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection of Nayarit and Mexico’s Army, Air Force and National Guard stated that nine to 10 people died in the crash. Two of the deceased were identified as minors.
Among the injured were two National Guard members who suffered serious injuries and were taken to a hospital in Guadalajara. The driver of the tractor-trailer involved in the initial impact was detained by the National Guard, according to local outlet El Financiero.
Videos circulating on social media depicted multiple vehicles ablaze on the highway connecting Guadalajara and Tepic, with thick plumes of black smoke rising into the air. Mexican authorities are investigating the cause of the incident.