The incident occurred near the town of Ecatepec along the highway that connects Mexico City and the nearby city of Pachuca about 100 kilometers (60 miles) to the northeast.

The highway is one of the busiest in the country. Many Mexicans living on the capital's outskirts use it for their daily commute to the mega-city. It is also frequented by commercial trucks.

Ten men and two women were killed, a local government source told AFP. Several other people were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Images showed the van's front end badly crushed in the collision.