PUEBLA, Mexico, May 15, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A fiery multi-vehicle crash involving a trailer truck and a bus killed at least 21 people in central Mexico on Wednesday, authorities said.

Eighteen people died at the scene and three more in hospital, Samuel Aguilar, an official with the Puebla state government, told reporters.

An unspecified number of injured were being treated in local hospitals, he said.

Images published by Mexican media showed thick black smoke billowing from wreckage strewn along the highway connecting Puebla with the southern state of Oaxaca.

Road accidents in Mexico have multiplied in recent years, often due to poor vehicle maintenance, dangerous driving or motorist fatigue.

Many of the crashes have involved freight trucks, leading to calls for better safety standards on the country's congested highways.

In one of the deadliest incidents, a collision between a truck and a bus killed 38 people in the southeastern state of Campeche on February 8.

In March, more than 30 people were killed in two separate bus crashes on the same day, including a collision between a tractor-trailer and a bus carrying passengers from the US state of Texas.