Five people died after a highway rear-end collision Saturday in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, said local authorities.

The accident occurred at 5:40 p.m. when a minibus was rear-ended by a truck carrying carbinol on the highway linking the regional capital of Hohhot and Togtoh County, said a spokesman with the public security bureau of Hohhot.

Five people on the minibus, including a child, died at the scene, said the spokesman.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.