At least nine daily workers were killed and two others were injured in the early hours of Thursday in a traffic accident on the Salamanca-León Highway, the long road that connects the two municipalities in western Guanajuato, the State Attorney’s Office said in a statement. The injured were transferred to the hospital for treatment. The Public Prosecution began investigations to clarify the circumstances of the accident.
Specialized expert teams affiliated with the state apparatus began working to clarify the identity and ages of those affected, about whom no official information is yet available. The prosecution also indicated that it is already preparing to hand over the bodies to their families. “The birth will take place according to institutional protocol, at a time and place determined by each family,” the letter stated, adding in the letter that they would provide comprehensive support and accompaniment to family members.
The accident occurred near the municipality of San José de Mendoza, a small town located about 20 kilometers east of Irapuato, according to information from various national media, confirming that the accident occurred due to a collision between a truck and a truck.
The incident comes in the context of the cessation of the agricultural sector, which has raised its voice since last month to demand an increase in the prices of its crops and to show dissatisfaction with the insecurity that the country is witnessing. Peasants and farmers chose to block roads in different parts of the country to demand the attention of the federal authorities. Last Tuesday, after more than four hours of negotiations with various authorities in the Mexican government, the farmers left the dialogue table. Heraclio Rodriguez, a member of the National Front for the Salvation of the Mexican Rural, said at the time, who confirmed that they would continue blocking the roads: “We have decided to withdraw from this table until they contact us again with a different will.”
Guanajuato state ended 2024 – the last year with updated data – with a total of 18,566 traffic accidents, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi). The number has been rising since 2020 (15,702 accidents), a year in which there was a significant decrease compared to the 19,874 that preceded it. It was followed by 2021 data with 15,422; That is for 2022 with 16,674 and for 2023 with 17,703. The data is even more alarming with numbers collected across the country. Mexico ended 2024 with 374,949 traffic accidents, a number slightly lower than the 381,048 the previous year.