BEIJING: Two road accidents killed 33 people and injured eight others in two Chinese provinces over the weekend, state media and officials said.
A bus plunged into a ravine in Nayong county in the southwestern province of Guizhou, killing 21 people and injuring three others, the state broadcaster China Central Television reported.
A preliminary investigation suggested the driver drove on a mountain road intended only for smaller vehicles. The bus plummeted nearly 100 meters (yards) into a dry riverbed, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
In Kangle country in the northwestern province of Gansu, a farm vehicle careened while making a turn on a mountain road, killing 12 people and injuring five, local officials said in an online statement. Both crashes happened on Saturday and remained under investigation.
Road accidents are frequent in populous China, especially in rural areas where overloading is common and traffic rules are routinely ignored. The country’s treacherous mountain roads also are a challenge to motorists. -AP