Beijing: A double-decker sleeper bus rammed into a tanker loaded with highly-flammable methanol on a northern Chinese highway early Sunday, causing both vehicles to burst into flames and killing 36 people, state media said.
The official Xinhua News Agency said 39 people were on the long distance sleeper bus when it crashed and only three survived. The survivors were hospitalized, it said, but didn't say what condition they were in.
The tanker had just returned to the highway after an early morning rest stop when it was apparently rear-ended by the bus at around 2:40 a.m. close to the city of Yan'an in Shaanxi province, the official China News website said.
The bus had left Hohhot in Inner Mongolia at 5 p.m. Saturday and was headed south to Xi'an city, it said.
Xinhua news photos showed the charred metal skeleton of the bus rammed up against the back of the tanker.
An official with the local Communist Party propaganda bureau in Yan'an confirmed that the crash occurred but was unable to give details and was unsure of the death toll.
Road safety is a serious problem in China. According to Xinhua, poorly maintained roads and bad driving habits result in about 70,000 deaths and 300,000 injuries a year.
The official Xinhua News Agency said 39 people were on the long distance sleeper bus when it crashed and only three survived. The survivors were hospitalized, it said, but didn't say what condition they were in.
The tanker had just returned to the highway after an early morning rest stop when it was apparently rear-ended by the bus at around 2:40 a.m. close to the city of Yan'an in Shaanxi province, the official China News website said.
Xinhua news photos showed the charred metal skeleton of the bus rammed up against the back of the tanker.
Advertisement
Road safety is a serious problem in China. According to Xinhua, poorly maintained roads and bad driving habits result in about 70,000 deaths and 300,000 injuries a year.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
8 Travelling Illegally Inside Refrigerated Truck Die From Suffocation In China China Road Collapse Survivor Drives 800 km To Thank Elderly Man Who Saved His Life 14 Killed After Bus Crashes Inside China Tunnel, 37 Injured 'Entire NEET Paper Solved In 45 Minutes Before Exam?': Top Court To Centre "Had God On My Side": Donald Trump Recounts Being Shot At During Rally 32 Dead In Bangladesh Unrest, Protesters Set Fire To State TV Headquarters "Every Time I Try To Eat Healthy" - Video Creator's Editing Skills Amaze Internet Watch: Comedian's Wholesome Interaction With Indian-Origin Woman Is Viral Donald Trump Accepts Republican Nomination Amid Chants Of USA From Crowd Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.