Two truck-bus collisions leave at least 26 dead in NE China

Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2010 shows the scene of a traffic accident on the Changping Speedway in northeast China's Jilin Province. A bus ran into the rear of a car and then collided head-on with a truck on the speedway Friday afternoon, leaving 26 people dead. (Xinhua/Xiao Xiao)

At least 26 people were killed in two traffic collisions in northeast China Friday, and an unspecified number of people were injured, local authorities said.

In Jilin Province, a truck and a long-distance bus collided at the entrance to an expressway near the provincial capital, Changchun, at about 2:50 p.m., triggering a fire and leaving at least 16 people dead, said Su Limin, a spokesman for the Changchun expressway traffic police.

The seating capacity of the bus was 45 but the number of people onboard the bus at the time of the collision was not immediately known.

Witnesses said some people aboard the bus were burned by the ensuing fire.

"An initial investigation found the bus had a flat tire and crashed through the median barrier on the expressway, colliding with a car first and then the truck, which was carrying paper products," Su said.

The injured people have been rushed to hospital, he added.

In a separate accident, a truck loaded with sand collided with a mini-bus at about 1:30 p.m. on an expressway near Jiamusi City, Heilongjiang Province, killing 10 people and injuring one other, local authorities said.

Nine people aboard the mini-bus died instantly and another died after receiving emergency treatment, a Jiamusi government emergency response office spokesman said.

The truck driver was injured and is being treated, he added.

Local traffic police are investigating the cause of the accident, he added.

Source: Xinhua