MEXICO CITY: A van carrying the first indigenous woman to run for the Mexican presidency was involved in a highway accident on Wednesday in western Baja California state that killed at least one person and injured the candidate, according to social media associated with her campaign.

Maria de Jesus Patricio, running as an independent candidate for president in the July election, was injured in the accident, her party said on Facebook. The individual killed, one of 11 people in the van, was not identified.

Patricio, known by the nickname Marichuy, previously served as the spokeswoman for the National Indigenous Congress, or CNI, the political arm of the Zapatista National Liberation Army.

"Our spokeswoman Marichuy and councilor Lucero Islava were injured," the CNI said on its Facebook page without providing further details about the accident.

Independent presidential aspirants have until this weekend to gather some 866,000 voter signatures in at least 17 Mexican states to appear on the July ballot.

A traditional healer and native Nahua speaker, Patricio has not yet met the signature requirement.