MEXICO CITY, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were killed after a public transit bus overturned in northeastern Mexico, local civil protection authorities said Monday.

The accident occurred Sunday night on the Miguel Aleman highway near Apodaca, a municipality in the northeastern state of Nuevo Leon, when the bus skidded on wet pavement and overturned, a spokesperson for the state's civil protection told Xinhua by phone.

Among the dead was the bus driver, who had reported mechanical problems hours before the accident, according to local media.

The Mexican Social Security Institute in Nuevo Leon said that it provided medical attention to 58 injured people, including three in serious condition.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident, while rescue and emergency response efforts continue at the scene. ■