A bus carrying dozens of mostly Venezuelan migrants in the south of Mexico has crashed, killing 17 people and leaving 15 more injured, state authorities say.

The bus was on the highway in the southern state of Oaxaca when it overturned, the state’s civil protection agency said on social media platform X.

Pictures from the agency showed the bus tipped over along a tight curve in the road.

The interior ministry of neighbouring state Puebla said that the 15 injured people had been taken to its hospitals, as the accident occurred near state lines.

The accident comes amid high levels of migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border.

Migrants attempt to cross Mexico by bus, in trucks or aboard cargo trains, however, the journey is often dangerous.

—AAP