A county government in southwest China Yunnan Province has appealed a ruling that ordered it to pay compensation to the family of an official who died while driving a government car to run a personal errand.

Zhang Wenxin, deputy director of the Standing Committee of Xundian County People's Congress, borrowed an office car and drove it on a vacation in March 2009.

The car overturned, killing three, including Zhang and his wife, Li Dongmei, and injuring two others, People's Daily reported yesterday.

The Dongchuan District People's Court ordered the government office to compensate Li's son and father nearly 350,000 yuan (US$55,580) because "it didn't fulfill its obligation to manage the car well," a ruling that sparked wide controversy.

Some people backed the court and said the county must take responsibility.

Once you use a government car, you engage in government affairs even though you just use it for personal reasons, argued Xie Zhiyong, law professor at the China University of Political Science and Law.

But the government office appealed to the Kunming City Intermediate People's Court and is still waiting for the second trial, the report said.

Jiang Xin, a deputy professor of law at Yunnan University, said the government office was innocent and Zhang should compensate for the broken car, the report said.

If the court still holds the government office responsible, then it will encourage officials to use government cars for personal reasons, Jiang told People's Daily.