11 dead, 35 injured in SE China expressway accident

Death toll of an expressway accident in east China's Fujian Province on Friday rose to 11, local authorities said late Friday.

Another 35 people were injured and are being treated in four local hospitals. Eight of them had serious injuries, sources with the Zhangzhou municipal government said.

The accident occurred around 11:25 a.m., when a semi-trailer loaded with cement hit a car, a sleeper coach and a truck on the expressway from Zhangzhou to Longyan in Nanjing County in the city of Zhangzhou, said a spokesman with the county government.

Forty-five passengers, including three children, were on the 44-seat double-decker bus, which was operated by a passenger transport company in Zunyi, Guizhou Province.

Initial investigation found that the semi-trailer experienced a brake failure, resulting in the accident, according to the latest press release from the Zhangzhou government.

Further investigation is underway.