Bus plunge kills 27 in China

A bus fell off a bridge in south-western China’s Chongqing region early today, killing 27 people and seriously injuring four others, the government reported.

The tour bus was carrying 31 passengers, most asleep in berths when the vehicle veered off a bridge on a mountain highway, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

The Chinese Sanxiang-brand bus fell apart on impact and 25 people were killed instantly, it said.

Two others died later. The report did not say what caused the accident.

China’s roads are among the world’s deadliest, with traffic accidents killing 23,411 people in the first three months of this year alone.