At least 23 killed after truck hits passenger bus in China

At least 23 killed after truck hits passenger bus in China

2011-07-04 21:12:54 GMT+7 (ICT)

WUHAN, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- At least 23 people were killed during a road accident involving a passenger bus in the central region of China, officials said Monday.

The accident occurred at around 3:50 a.m. local time on the Xiantao section of the Suizhou-Yueyang expressway in China's Hubei Province, when a truck hit a passenger bus from behind, a spokesman with the Hubei traffic police headquarters told state-run Xinhua agency.

The bus, which is operated by Wuhan Hailong Tourism Bus Company, was carrying 52 people and traveling from the country's southeastern Guangdong Province to Tianmen City in central Hubei Province.

Among the 23 fatal victims was the truck driver and several bus passengers. Five children were on board the passenger bus, but reports did not indicate whether any of the fatal victims were children. In addition, 29 people suffered injuries during the incident.

Previous reports had indicated that 26 people had died during the crash, but the traffic police spokesman said the figures were incorrect because confusion was caused as the badly burnt bodies were difficult to identify.

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