World IN BRIEF : MEXICO : 2 Buses Collide; 18 Killed, 54 Hurt

At least 18 people died and 54 were injured when two buses collided in the central Mexican state of Zacatecas, the government news agency Notimex reported. It said the collision was near the town of La Blanca, about 30 miles southeast of the city of Zacatecas. Police blamed heavy fog for the collision. Federal highway police said the passengers on one of the buses were on a religious pilgrimage. The other vehicle was a regular passenger bus. Martin Valenzuela, the deputy director of the Mexican Red Cross in Zacatecas, said 17 of the dead were pilgrims. “It appears that the bus with the pilgrims crossed into the oncoming lane,” he said. “Both buses were practically broken in half.”