Nine people are dead following a van crash in a largely Indigenous area on Mexico’s Caribbean coast

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Nine people died Monday in a van crash on a highway in a largely Indigenous area on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, authorities said.

Prosecutors in the coastal state of Quintana Roo said that the van carrying the victims apparently collided with a truck.

The crash occurred early Monday in an area about 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of the resort of Tulum.

The van burst into flames after the collision. Another six people, all apparently passengers aboard the van, suffered serious injuries. The dead included three minors.

Vans are the most common form of public transport among the largely Mayan Indigenous towns in the area. Because the area is some distance from the coast, and the shoreline there is mainly mangroves and wetlands, tourists rarely visit the area. Officials said all the victims appeared to be local residents.

As the Caribbean coast becomes more developed and traffic becomes heavier, more crashes are occurring on local highways.