7 dead in highway car crash in central Mexico

Seven people were killed after a van collided with a semi-truck on a highway in the central State of Mexico, authorities said on Friday.

According to the Federal Police, the accident occurred at around 3 p.m. local time (2000 GMT) on the Chamapa-Lecheria Highway on the outskirts of the towns of Naucalpan and Atizapan de Zaragoza, both being part of the Mexico City metropolitan area.

Six people died at the site of the accident, while another died later in a nearby hospital, the Attorney General's Office of the state told Xinhua.

The seven victims, including two children, were passengers in the van, local media reported, quoting rescue workers and police at the scene.

The causes were still being investigated by local authorities.

The Chamapa-Lecheria Highway connects various towns in northern and northeastern State of Mexico with western Mexico City.