HOHHOT - Five people were killed and four others were injured when a minibus crashed into a truck Saturday night in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, police said Sunday.

The accident happened around 10:30 pm on a road in Horqin district in the city of Tongliao, killing five minibus passengers instantly, said a police officer with the city.

Two people in the minibus and two others in the truck were rushed to hospital to have their injuries treated. Among them, one was in critical condition, the police officer said, quoting a witness.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.