Tourists among 11 dead in southern Mexico road accident

SAN CRISTÓBAL DE LAS CASAS, MEXICO — At least 11 people died and seven were injured on Sunday when a car and a van carrying tourists crashed on a highway in Mexico’s southern Chiapas state, local prosecutors said.

“Eleven people were killed and seven more were injured,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement, adding an investigation had been opened into the accident’s cause.

According to reports from local authorities, the victims included tourists traveling in the van to San Cristobal de las Casas, one of the most visited cities in Chiapas state.

During the Christmas and New Year’s holiday season, traffic is heavier on Mexico’s roads and accidents occur more frequently.