MEXICO CITY (REUTERS) - A truck crashed into a crowd of people in western Guatemala on Wednesday (March 27), killing at least 32 people, authorities said.

The truck struck a group of people who had gone onto the road to inspect another person who had been hit by a car, Cecilio Chacaj, a spokesman for the local fire department, told Reuters.

The crash killed at least 32 people, and nine people were admitted to hospitals in a critical condition, Public Health Minister Carlos Soto said on local radio.

The accident took place in the municipality of Nahuala, west of Guatemala City.

"At this time we are coordinating our response to bring full support to the relatives of the victims," President Jimmy Morales wrote in a post on Twitter. "My heartfelt condolences."

The crash marked one of the country's worst traffic accidents in recent years. In 2013, a bus plunged off a cliff in rural Guatemala, killing at least 43 people and injuring dozens.