At least 54 migrants were killed on Thursday when a truck they were traveling in hit a wall and overturned in southern Mexico's Chiapas State.

Forty-nine people died at the scene, and five more while receiving medical attention, said Chiapas Governor Rutilio Escandon.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador expressed his sorrow at the "very painful" incident on Twitter.

The accident occurred outside the city of Tuxtla Gutierrez in Chiapas State, said Luis Manuel Garcia, head of the Chiapas civil protection agency.

The driver, who fled the scene, appeared to have been speeding when he lost control of the vehicle, officials said.

(With input from Reuters)