Tourists killed in Mexico bus crash

Eleven American and Canadian tourists died when a cargo truck swerved lanes and slammed into their bus on a sightseeing journey in northern Mexico, officials said yesterday.

The Mexican driver of the bus, which was carrying 23 mostly elderly Americans and Canadians, also was killed in the head-on collision on Monday, said an official from the civil protection agency in the state of Coahuila, where the crash occurred.

The official, who asked not to be named, said nine Americans and Canadians and the driver died at the crash site. Another two tourists died in a hospital, he said, adding that 17 others were injured.

In a statement the state attorney general's office said at least six Americans and two Canadians died at the scene of the crash, together with the bus driver. The bus began its journey in McAllen, Texas and was headed for the colonial mining town of Zacatecas in central Mexico.