Authorities said the vehicle they were being carried in crashed in southern Mexico, killing at least 54 people and injuring dozens more.

When the truck rolled into the state of Chiapas, more than 150 people, believed to be Central American migrants, were crammed into the trailer.

One local overheard a guy pleading with his seriously damaged companion: "Keep in mind what you said to your mother! Please bear with me."

Victims are scattered over the road adjacent to the crashed truck in photos.

Sabina Lopez, a resident who rushed to the scene after the accident, told the AFP news agency that she witnessed scores of people screaming in pain, some trapped in the debris and others comatose.

"It was horrible to hear the wailing. I just thought about helping," Lopez, who is 18 years old, said AFP.

It's one of Mexico's deadliest incidents of its sort. Governor Rutilio Escandón of Chiapas claimed 49 people died at the site and five more died in the hospital.

According to him, 105 persons were hurt in the incident, including 83 males and 22 women.

Men, women, and children were among the victims, according to emergency personnel. The majority of the passengers were Guatemalans, but there were also individuals from Honduras, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic onboard.

At around 15:30 local time on Thursday, the truck overturned on a tight bend and collided with a pedestrian bridge on a prominent route going to the Chiapas state capital, Tuxtla Gutiérrez.

Chiapas is a key transit site for illegal migrants, as it borders Guatemala.