When a truck overturned in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region 20 people
riding in the back of the vehicle were killed, say local
authorities
The accident occurred at about 5:00 AM Friday when the truck
with 25 people on board rolled over in the Altun Mountain area of
the Ruoqiang County. Twenty people, including the driver, were
killed. Three injured passengers are being treated in a local
hospital.
The truck belonged to Han Wenming, who was on his way to the
Altun Mountain with his father Han Keli, along with 22 peasant
workers he'd employed in the neighboring Qinghai Province and the driver. Han Wenming
was unhurt but it's unclear whether his father was among the dead
or injured.
As the accident occurred in a remote area it took Han sometime
to wave down a passing vehicle. Han called the police in the county
seat of Ruoqiang which is 700 kilometers away.
The bodies and the injured arrived in Huatugou Township in
Qinghai at about 3:00 AM Sunday. Those who died are being kept in a
mosque.
The authorities could offer no explanation of Han's business or
employment activities. Police are investigating the accident but
harsh weather conditions were hindering progress.
In another road accident three people died when a coach carrying
33 passengers was involved in an accident on Monday afternoon near
Chaoyangshan town of Panshi, a city in Northeast China's Jilin
Province.
The coach overturned killing three passengers and injuring 21,
two of them seriously, according to the emergency center of Panshi,
where the injured are being treated. The other nine passengers
escaped unhurt.
The coach was heading for the Baishan city from Changchun,
capital of Jilin. The cause of the accident is under
investigation.
(Xinhua News Agency November 28, 2006)