3 Dead, 20 Injured After Bus Traveling to Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Mexico Overturns

According to the local press, the pilgrims were an hour and a half from their destination in a trip that takes more than four hours.

Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the New Basilica in Mexico City.
Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the New Basilica in Mexico City. (photo: Cezary Wojtkowski / Shutterstock)

Three pilgrims died and another 20 — including at least two minors — were injured Sunday in a traffic accident on the Mexico-Puebla highway as they were traveling to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

The pilgrims began their journey from the town of Ajalpan in the Mexican state of Puebla when the brakes of the bus they were traveling in reportedly failed and the vehicle overturned around 6 a.m. on the highway that connects Puebla with Mexico City.

According to the local press, the pilgrims were an hour and a half from their destination in a trip that takes more than four hours.

Archbishop Víctor Manuel Sánchez Espinosa of Puebla included the deceased and injured among the intentions of the Mass he celebrated Sunday. “We join therefore in prayer to God Our Lord, praying for them and for their families,” the prelate said.

The Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico also stated that “we join in prayer after the accident that occurred on the Mexico-Puebla highway, praying to Holy Mary of Guadalupe for our deceased brothers and their famili

Palestinian Christians celebrate Easter Sunday Mass at Holy Family Church in Gaza City on March 31, amid the ongoing battles Israel and the Hamas militant group.

People Explain ‘Why I Go to Mass’

‘Why go to Mass on Sundays? It is not enough to answer that it is a precept of the Church. … We Christians need to participate in Sunday Mass because only with the grace of Jesus, with his living presence in us and among us, can we put into practice his commandment, and thus be his credible witnesses.’ —Pope Francis

Palestinian Christians celebrate Easter Sunday Mass at Holy Family Church in Gaza City on March 31, amid the ongoing battles Israel and the Hamas militant group.

People Explain ‘Why I Go to Mass’

‘Why go to Mass on Sundays? It is not enough to answer that it is a precept of the Church. … We Christians need to participate in Sunday Mass because only with the grace of Jesus, with his living presence in us and among us, can we put into practice his commandment, and thus be his credible witnesses.’ —Pope Francis