26 Dead, Including Children, in Fiery Mexico Crash

A tractor trailer and a passenger van collided in northern Mexico Sunday, leaving at least 26 people dead. Authorities warned that was just a preliminary number, since a blaze broke out and consumed both the van and the trailer from the freight truck, making it difficult to determine how many were killed, the AP reports. Local media reported that members of an extended family may have been coming back from an outing in the van, but that has not been confirmed by authorities. Authorities have confirmed, however, that IDs found at the scene indicate the victims were Mexican nationals, Reuters reports. Children were among the dead.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but authorities say the cab that the trailer had been attached to was not at the scene, so the driver may have uncoupled it and took off. It took place in the northern border state of Tamaulipas on a highway near the state capital, Ciudad Victoria. (More Mexico stories.)