[Stovegeothnon]

23 dead as bus plunges off road in southwest China


Commuters are seen boarding buses in Beijing. At least 23 people were killed Sunday when the passenger bus they were riding in fell off a mountainous road in southwest China, state press said.
(AFP/File/Frederic J. Brown)

2 hrs 26 mins ago

BEIJING (AFP) – At least 23 people were killed Sunday when the passenger bus they were riding in fell off a mountainous road in southwest China, state press said. The accident occurred in Sichuan province's Aba prefecture, a region largely populated by ethnic Tibetans and other minorities, Xinhua news agency said. The cause of the Sunday morning accident is under investigation.

The bus was travelling from Aba's Maerkang county to the provincial capital of Chengdu when the accident occurred. It was forced to take a detour on a secondary road due to repairs on the main road, Xinhua added. China's roads are among the most dangerous in the world, with traffic laws widely flouted. Almost 70,000 people died in road accidents in 2009, or around 190 fatalities per day, according to police statistics.