At least 18 people were killed and at least 23 injured Thursday when a bus carrying foreign migrants and locals plummeted into a ravine in northwestern Mexico, authorities said.

Three minors were among the dead, the civil protection agency in Nayarit state reported.

The bus, with around 40 people on board, was traveling from Mexico City to northwestern Tijuana, which borders San Diego, from where numerous migrants attempt to seek refuge in the United States.

"Most of the passengers are foreigners and originating from countries such as India, the Dominican Republic and from the African continent, among others, some of whom were heading to Tijuana to cross into the United States," the civil protection agency said.

The driver has been detained on suspicion of speeding, causing him to lose control and plunge down an embankment near the state capital Tepic, the agency reported.

Deadly road accidents are common in Mexico, usually due to high speeds, poor vehicle conditions or driver fatigue.

Such crashes are a leading cause of deaths among migrants making the dangerous journey overland to the United States.

In February, migrants from Venezuela, Colombia, and Central America were involved in a bus crash between the southern state of Oaxaca and central Puebla that left at least 17 dead.

In July, at least 29 people were killed when a passenger bus careened off a mountain road and fell into a ravine in Oaxaca.

In December 2021, a trailer carrying 160 migrants crashed into a pedestrian bridge on a highway in the southern state of Chiapas, leaving 56 dead, mostly Guatemalans.