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School bus accident kills 20 in NW China

2011-11-16 17:26    Xinhua     Web Editor: Li Jing

Twenty people died in a head-on collision between a school bus and a truck in northwest China's Gansu province Wednesday morning, as China Central Television reported.

The accident happened at around 9:40 a.m. in Yulinzi township of Zhengning county, the work safety bureau of the city of Qingyang said in a press release.

Xinhua reported earlier that five people died at the scene, including four children and the bus driver, and 14 others had been confirmed dead by midday.

The bureau has blamed overloading for the crash, saying the school bus -- a van with nine seats -- was carrying 64 people, most of whom were children from Little Doctor Kindergarten of Yulinzi township.

It said another 44 people, mostly children, were hospitalized with injuries.

The truck had a license plate from neighboring Shaanxi Province and was carrying coal, it said.

Xinhua reporters are on their way to Zhengning County, which is 500 km from the provincial capital of Lanzhou.