Bus-truck collision death toll climbs

The death toll from a major highway crash on Friday night rose to 18, with another 14 injured in Hunan province, local authorities said on Saturday.

The accident occurred on an expressway in Hengdong county when a bus and truck collided head-on at about 8:41 pm. Sixteen people in the coach and two in the truck died, and 14 injured passengers were sent to four nearby hospitals. Traffic on the expressway resumed on Saturday morning, according to the traffic police.

The 55-seat bus was carrying 30 people, including the driver. The truck, which was normally used to transport hazardous chemicals, was empty at the time of the crash, a traffic officer said.

The bus belonged to a transportation company in Zhumadian, Henan province.

Huang Jianhua, a passenger, told Hunan TV station that not all seats were taken and some passengers hadn't fastened their seat belts.

The bus left Zhongshan, Guangdong province, Friday morning and was scheduled to arrive at Pingyu, Henan province, at 11 am on Saturday, according to a report by the station.

The bus driver had been warned four times since December about speeding and driving while fatigued, according to a statement posted on Sina Weibo by the Pingyu traffic police. His latest warning was on April 28. At that time, local police told the company it should punish the driver.

In a separate incident, eight people died and four were injured on Thursday when an oil tanker caught fire after being rear-ended by a truck in Anhui province.

The two incidents in close succession prompted the Ministry of Transport to issue a notice asking local authorities to raise their safety awareness and strengthen supervision in key areas - including hidden hazards - and to respond quickly to emergencies.