The death toll in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck on a highway in central China has risen to 18, with another 14 people injured, police say.

Footage from Friday night's crash in Hunan province, south of the capital Beijing, shows both heavily damaged vehicles on the rain-slicked highway.

Speeding, dangerous passing, poorly maintained vehicles and fatigued drivers are most often the cause of serious traffic accidents in China. Friday's disaster appears to be one of the worst in recent months. </s> BEIJING—The death toll in a head-on collision between a passenger coach and a truck on a highway in central China has risen to 18, with another 14 people injured, police said Saturday.

The accident took place Friday evening in Hunan province south of the capital Beijing. Footage from the scene showed both heavily damaged vehicles along the rain-slicked highway. It appeared that one of the vehicles may have crossed a centre divider. </s> BEIJING (AP) — Eighteen people were killed and 14 others injured in a head-on collision between a passenger bus and a truck on a highway in central China, police said Saturday.

The accident took place Friday evening in Hunan province south of Beijing. Video from the scene showed both heavily damaged vehicles along the rain-slicked highway. It appeared that one of the vehicles may have crossed a center divider.

Speeding, dangerous passing, poorly maintained vehicles and fatigued drivers are most often the cause of serious traffic accidents in China. Friday's accident appeared to be one of the worst in recent months.

Despite vast improvements in safety, the World Health Organization says about 260,000 Chinese die each year in traffic accidents, many of them pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcycle riders. Long-distance buses are a cheaper alternative to high-speed trains or planes for the vast majority of working-class Chinese traveling around the vast country. </s> Eighteen people have been killed and another 14 injured in a head-on collision between a passenger coach and a truck on a highway in central China, police said today.

The accident took place on Friday evening in Hunan province, south of the capital Beijing.

Footage from the scene showed both heavily damaged vehicles along the rain-slicked highway.

It appeared that one of the vehicles may have crossed a central divider.

Speeding, dangerous passing, poorly maintained vehicles and fatigued drivers are most often the cause of serious traffic accidents in China.

Despite vast improvements in safety, the World Health Organization says about 260-thousand Chinese die each year in traffic accidents, many of them pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcycle riders.

Long-distance coach buses are a cheaper alternative to high-speed trains or planes for the vast majority of working-class Chinese travelling around the vast country. </s> BEIJING — Authorities in China say at least 15 people have been killed and 44 injured in a highway pile-up.

The accident Saturday night happened after a heavy truck lost control and crashed into a line of vehicles waiting at a toll station in the northwestern province of Gansu.

Last week, 15 people were killed after a bus to plunged off a high bridge into China’s Yangtze River in the western city of Chongqing.

In that previous crash, an eight-second surveillance video released by police showed the driver and a passenger arguing and grappling with each other in the moments before the bus suddenly veered across oncoming traffic and off the bridge. </s> The death toll in a head-on collision between a passenger coach and a truck on a highway in central China has risen to 18, with another 14 people injured, police said Saturday. The accident took place last evening in Hunan province south of the capital Beijing. Footage from the scene showed both heavily damaged vehicles along the rain-slicked highway. It appeared that one of the vehicles may have crossed a centre divider.

Speeding, dangerous passing, poorly maintained vehicles and fatigued drivers are most often the cause of serious traffic accidents in China. Friday’s disaster appeared to be one of the worst in recent months. Despite vast improvements in safety, the World Health Organisation says about 2,60,000 Chinese people die each year in traffic accidents, many of them pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcycle riders.

Long-distance coach buses are a cheaper alternative to high-speed trains or planes for the vast majority of working-class Chinese travelling around the vast country.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App </s> Hospital workers attend to a person injured in a coach-truck collision accident in Hengdong County, central China's Hunan Province. Picture: Xiao Yahui/Xinhua via AP

Beijing — The death toll in a head-on collision between a passenger coach and a truck on a highway in central China has risen to 18, with another 14 people injured, police said Saturday. The accident took place Friday evening in Hunan province south of the capital Beijing. Footage from the scene showed both heavily damaged vehicles along the rain-slicked highway. It appeared that one of the vehicles may have crossed a centre divider.

Speeding, dangerous passing, poorly maintained vehicles and fatigued drivers are most often the cause of serious traffic accidents in China. Friday's disaster appeared to be one of the worst in recent months.

Despite vast improvements in safety, the World Health Organization says about 260,000 Chinese die each year in traffic accidents, many of them pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcycle riders. Long-distance coach buses are a cheaper alternative to high-speed trains or planes for the vast majority of working-class Chinese travelling around the vast country.

AP </s> Authorities in China say 15 people have been killed and 44 injured in a highway pile-up.

The accident happened Saturday night after a heavy truck lost control and crashed into a line of vehicles waiting at a toll station in the northwestern province of Gansu.

31 vehicles were involved in the horror crash, and 10 of the 44 injured were in a serious condition as a result, China Daily reported.

The driver of the truck, who sustained minor injuries, told police the vehicle had a brake failure as he was travelling downhill.

He is being investigated and are under police watch as officers try to confirm the claim.

Police confirmed the man lost control of the truck in the 17km downhill stretch, and hit the long line of cars about 7.21pm, China.org reported.

In the meantime, Gansu provincial authorities have ordered dangerous sections of expressways to be inspected.

Images show twisted metal and debris littering the road, while the toll station, which leads to Lanzhou, has been closed.

The truck is reported to be the property of a logistics company in the Liaoning province.

Last week, 15 people were killed after a bus to plunged off a high bridge into China's Yangtze River in the western city of Chongqing.

In that previous crash, an eight-second surveillance video released by police showed the driver and a passenger arguing and grappling with each other in the moments before the bus suddenly veered across oncoming traffic and off the bridge. </s> At least 36 people were killed and 13 injured in China after a bus crashed into the wall of an expressway tunnel in the northwest province of Shaanxi, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday.

The accident took place late on Thursday while bus was heading to Central Luooyang from Southwest China’s Chengdu city. It crashed into the wall of a tunnel on the Xi’an-Hanzhong expressway. There were 49 passengers on board, The Telegraph reported, quoting the Sina news website.

The injured have been taken to a hospital, and rescue work is still on. Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun has ordered an investigation into the mishap, state broadcaster China Central Television reported.
18 people were killed and 14 others injured in a head-on collision between a passenger bus and a truck on a highway in central China.