At least 21 people died following a fiery crash between a passenger bus and a tractor-trailer on Wednesday on a highway in Mexico's eastern state of Veracruz, the local Civil Protection Agency said.

Another 30 people were injured in the crash which occurred at 10:20 a.m. (1520 GMT) on the road that connects the city of Puebla with the Port of Veracruz, the agency said.

The bus caught fire and rolled over after the crash, said local officials.

Veracruz prosecutors recovered the 17 bodies in the passenger bus and two from the tractor-trailer.

"In the course of taking the injured people to the hospital, one person arrived without vital signs and afterwards another person who arrived in critical condition, unfortunately, died," said Veracruz Civil Protection Secretary Guadalupe Osorno.