16 dead in SW China road accident

Photo taken on Sept. 15, 2013 shows the site where a road accident occurred in Zhenwu village, Dazhou city, southwest China's Sichuan province. Sixteen people, including 11 students, have been confirmed dead in the road accident, when a passenger bus collided with a truck, and then fell off a bridge. (Xinhua/Ding Shuang)

Sixteen people, including 11 students, have been confirmed dead in a Sunday road accident in southwest China's Sichuan province, local authorities said.

The accident occurred at 2 p.m. in Zhenwu village in Quxian county, Dazhou city, when a passenger bus collided with a heavy-duty truck loaded with sand and cobblestones. The bus plunged into a three-meter-deep riverbed, the Dazhou emergency response office said in a statement.

The bus with 24 people aboard, including 12 students, was then buried by sand and cobblestones from the overturned truck.

Of the 25 people including a truck driver, sixteen were killed, and four, including a student, were in serious condition, the statement said.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.