44 killed after Tibet tour bus falls into valley

Rescuers work on the scene of a three-vehicle pile-up in Nyemo County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 9, 2014. A tour bus carrying about 40 people fell off a valley following a three-vehicle pile-up here on Saturday. The bus crashed into a sports utility vehicle and a pick-up truck at 4:25 p.m. along the No. 318 National Highway in Nyemo County before plunging into the valley, said a spokesman with the regional government. (Xinhua/Chogo)

Forty-four people were killed and 11 others injured after a tour bus fell into a valley following a three-vehicle pile-up Saturday in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, local authorities said early Sunday. [More pics]

The 55-seat bus carrying 50 people fell off a 10-meter-plus-high cliff after crashing into a sports utility vehicle and a pick-up truck at about 4:25 p.m. Saturday on the No. 318 National Highway in Nyemo County, the regional government said.

The bus passengers were mainly tourists from regions including Anhui, Shanghai, Shandong and Hebei.

At the time of the accident, four people were in the sports utility vehicle and one was in the truck.

The injured are being treated at several hospitals in Lhasa, capital of Tibet, and their injuries are not life-threatening.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is under way.

Police have detained managers of the Feixiang Travel Agency and the Shengdi Vehicle Tour Company blamed for the accident.

The regional government has held an emergency meeting, ordering a general overhaul of road safety and travel safety across the region to avoid similar fatal accidents.