A car slammed into a bus near Mexico's Gulf coast, causing a crash that left 24 people dead and another 10 injured.

Civil defence authorities in Veracruz said the car and the bus collided on a highway in the neighbouring state of Puebla.

Two people died in the car, and 22 aboard the bus as the vehicle was consumed by flames.

The bus had set out from the Veracruz city of Poza Rica on Sunday. Apparently many of the passengers were students, but authorities were still working to identify the dead.

The state civil defence office said the car apparently struck the doors of the bus, preventing the occupants from getting out. Flames consumed the bus, leaving it a burnt-out hulk.

About 10 passengers got out through the windows. Ten people were injured in the crash, apparently all of those who got out.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.