At least 21 people have been killed in a road accident in central Mexico, according to a local official.

The three-vehicle crash happened on the highway between Cuacnopalan and Oaxaca in Puebla state on Wednesday morning, said Samuel Aguilar Pala, a local government official.

Mr Pala said 18 people died at the scene and another three died later in the hospital.

Several others were injured and are receiving medical attention, he wrote on X.

According to local media, the crash involved a tanker truck, a bus and a van.

There have been several severe accidents on highways in Mexico in recent years.

In February, dozens of people died in a bus crash in Tabasco in southern Mexico.