11 killed as bus crashes in southern China

An overloaded minibus plunged off a road into a deep ravine in southern China, killing 11 people and injuring 29, the government said today.

The accident occurred yesterday afternoon in the Guangxi region’s Leye county, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

The minibus had a maximum capacity of 19 people, but was carrying 40 when it went off the road into a 310-foot valley, it said. The report did not give a specific cause for the accident, but said an investigation was underway.

China’s roads are among the world’s deadliest. Tens of thousands of people are killed each year in accidents blamed on poorly maintained roads and vehicles or inattention to safety rules.