BEIJING — The death toll in a crash between a tourist bus and a truck in southwestern China has risen to 20 with two more people succumbing to their injuries, state press reported on Sunday.
The accident early on Saturday occurred in remote Yunnan province when the truck smashed into the back of the bus, causing it to flip over and skid along a highway, the Beijing News reported.
Another 21 people were injured, three of whom remained in hospital with life-threatening conditions, the report said.
The death toll included at least two people in the truck, it added.
The bus was packed with tourists mainly from Beijing, said the report, which did not specify whether any foreigners were involved.
China’s roads are extremely dangerous due in large part to rampant careless driving.
Nearly 73,500 people died in road accidents in China last year, or just over 200 fatalities per day, according to police statistics.
But traffic fatalities in China last year were down by 10 percent over 2007, as authorities stepped up road safety awareness and improved management of commercial vehicles, the government has said.
