Mexico City, Jan 31 (IANS): At least 19 people were killed after a double-decker passenger bus collided with a trailer on the Mazatlan-Culiacan Highway in northern Mexico, Sinaloa state Attorney General Sara Bruna Quinonez Estrada confirmed.

In a message posted on social media platform X, the head of the Sinaloa State Attorney General's Office said on Tuesday: "So far, according to the expert work that is still being carried out in that area, 19 lifeless bodies have been registered" at the site of the accident in the municipality of Elota.

"We still do not have the total number of people who were travelling; we are in the process of comparing it with the (bus) company's list," she added as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

The bus burst into flames following the impact and bodies were burnt beyond recognition, so it will take time "to verify the identification" of the fatal victims, she said.

In a later statement, Sinaloa's government said the bus was travelling between Guadalajara and Los Mochis when the accident occurred at 5:15 a.m. local time on Tuesday.

The trailer overturned on the road when the bus drove into it, leading both vehicles to catch fire.

The cause of the accident has not been verified, according to local media.